A contract has been signed here in the Asian Games host city that aims to develop it as a prominent stage for sporting events.

"This (plans to hold future major sporting events) is a great addition to the celebration of the Asian Games," said Hangzhou Mayor Yao Goayuan.

"It is a milestone for the city.

"Our goal is after the Games have concluded, we will make good use of the facilities.

"We will build the city into a host city of international sports events.

"By 2025, we hope to be successful in bidding for three top world sporting events.

"By 2035, we aim to have another high level comprehensive sports event and three to five single sports events such as world championships and world cup events."

President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Tayyab Ikram and his International Canoe Federation counterpart Thomas Konietzko were present at the signing ceremony as well as Badminton World Federation secretary general Thomas Lund. 

Ikram expressed his commitment to bringing more international competition to China.

The nation has hosted Women's Pro League fixtures since its establishment in 2019 in Changzhou.

He would like to see Hangzhou staging more, especially considering it is home to the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium which Ikram says is comparable with Olympic venues.

Lund is simply eager to continue pushing for development in China which "is the heartland of badminton".

The deal is also set to see a new canoe tournament introduced.

"Hangzhou and our sport belong together because this beautiful city with all its rivers and lakes offers so many opportunities for canoeing," said Konietzko. 

"It is only natural that we agreed to come back with international events.

"Part of our agreement today was to agree to announce a new competition format for the first time next year, and for the first time all the champions of these disciplines will compete at the same place at the same time."

Mao Genhong, deputy secretary general at both Hangzhou 2022 and Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, said the experience of holding the Asian Games "lays foundations for multi-sport events in the future".

He said that the facilities built for the event will benefit the city for years to come.

Chinese fans have been flocking to events in Hangzhou and the five co-host cities in Zhejiang province, with some sports experiencing sell-out crowds over the first five days of competition.

Hangzhou 2022 have claimed that more than CNY¥500 million (£56 million/$68.5 million/€65 million) worth of tickets have been sold for the Asian Games.