SHANGHAI'S growing status as a venue for world-class sporting events makes it a prime contender to one day host the Olympic Games, the city's vice mayor said yesterday.

"If there is another Chinese city (after Beijjng) that can host the Summer Games, it's none other than Shanghai," Zhao Wen told a meeting to review the city's sporting achievements in 2015 and showcase the dozens of top-quality events planned for the year ahead.

It was the first time Shanghai's top sports official had publicly expressed not only the government's willingness to host the Games, but also its confidence in being able to do so.