Special report: 24th Universiade Bangkok 2007

    BANGKOK, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thailand will accumulate experience through holding the 24th Universiade to bid for hosting an Olympic Games in the future, said a Thai senior official here on Tuesday.

    Thai Minister of Education Wichit Srisa-an told Xinhua at the Thammasat University, "The Universiade can be seen as a practice for the Olympics. Of course the only difference is the athletes, who are students as opposed to the professionals (at the Olympics)."

    The Bangkok Universiade, slated for Aug. 8-18, will be the first world multi-sport meet in Thailand, which is expected to see12,000 athletes and officials from 156 countries and regions.

    "Thailand has held a number of international sporting events, such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Asian Games. Thailand has planned since 2003 to host the Universiade and it is considered as great as the Olympics," said the minister who is also the chairman of the 24th World University Games organizing committee.

    Thailand played host to the first SEA Games in 1959 before bringing the Asian Games to the country in 1998.

    "Thailand and China are fellow countries and have long-good-standing relationship. So we were delighted when your country, our friend won the bid for the 2008 Olympics," he said, adding that itwas a success for not only China but the whole Asia in 2001 when Beijing was given the right to host the world's highest-level multi-sport Games.

    "Being a host country for the Olympics is a great achievement for China and for all in Asia. It is very encouraging," he said.

    Beijing is going to hold the Olympic Games and Paralympics in August next year and Bangkok is currently busy preparing for the Aug. 8 opening ceremony for the Universiade.

    The minister said Thailand had been hoping that they could stage an Olympic Games in the future as they had rich experience in hosting many large-scale sport events besides the world university games.

    "Therefore, in the future, we hope that Thailand will consider an Olympic bid," he said.