中国确认将主办2023年亚洲杯

China was confirmed as the host of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 at the AFC Extraordinary Congress here on Tuesday.

周二，在亚足联特别代表大会上，中国被确认为2023年亚足联亚洲杯的主办国。

The bidding started back in 2016, when China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand expressed their interest in hosting the quadrennial tournament.

亚洲杯的申办始于2016年，当时中国、韩国、印度尼西亚和泰国在争夺四年一度世界杯的主办权。

After South Korea dropped its bid last month, China was set to stage the 2023 edition of the Asian Cup as the sole bidder, and it was confirmed during the Extraordinary Congress held in the French capital.

在韩国上月放弃申办后，中国成为唯一的申办国，并在这次特别代表大会上得到了确认。

"This is an important moment for football in Asia and beyond. Football has a chance to unlock the potential that exists in the world's most populous country," the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa addressed his congratulations to China and the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

“这是个对于亚洲甚至其他地区的足球都十分重要的时刻。现在，足球有机会去释放隐藏在这个拥有世界最多人口的国家的潜力。”亚足联主席萨尔曼向中国和中国足协表示祝贺。

"Football has unique functions of fostering sports culture, promoting social and economic development, and advancing a nationwide fitness program. Hosting the Asian Cup has played a necessary role in promoting football in China, and the competition has provided a platform for that," Du Zhaocai, acting president of the CFA, told Xinhua after the Extraordinary Congress.

中国足协党委书记杜兆才在接受记者采访时表示，“足球作为一项运动，在国家体育文化打造、经济社会发展、全民健身和民族精神塑造方面有着独特功能。通过亚洲杯促进中国足球的发展是非常必要的，也是一个很好的平台。”

"It's an excellent platform and opportunity for us to improve our sporting level and promoting the sport nationwide, including youth training and social football," he added.

杜兆才表示，举办亚洲杯将促进中国足球硬件和场地设施发展，推动全民普及，包括青训推广和社会足球方面。

Lin Xiaohua, member of CFA executive committee, made a presentation to the attendees about China's bid for the tournament in terms of vision, economy, culture, infrastructure and transportation.

中国足协专职执委林晓华代表中国足协向亚足联介绍了中国承办世界杯的愿景、经济、文化、基础设施和交通等方面的相关情况。

"15 years ago, we had the honor of hosting the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China, proving to the world that China is the ideal host of this prestigious event. After 19 years, we want to reaffirm our full commitment to the Asian football that we welcome the Asian Cup back to China," said Lin.

“15年前，我们有机会承办2004年亚洲杯，向世界证明了办赛能力。19年之后，我们希望向亚洲足球重申我们的承诺，将亚洲杯再次带到中国。”

"Our vision is to bring the game to more places, more people and bring more media exposure and create more excitement," he added.

他补充道:“我们的目标是把足球带到更多的地方，带给更多的人，带来更多的关注，创造更多的奇迹。”

China last hosted the Asian Cup in 2004, reaching the final of that year's tournament. At the most recent edition of the tournament earlier this year, China advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost 3-0 to Iran.

中国上一次举办亚洲杯是在2004年，进入了当年亚洲杯的决赛。在今年早些时候举行的亚洲杯上，中国进入了四分之一决赛，最后以0比3输给了伊朗。