体坛英语新闻：Russia to focus on 2018 World Cup, not bidding for 2024 Summer Olympics: minister

MOSCOW, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia focused on hosting other sports games like 2018 FIFA World Cup than bidding for 2024 Summer Olympics, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Wednesday.

"So far, Russia does not plan to bid for hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mutko as saying.

The minister said the main tasks of Russian sports authorities are the successful preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

He reminded that Russia also will host the World University Games in 2019.

Moreover, St.Petersburg would host the quarter-final and group stage matches during the second phase of the 2020 UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) European Football Championship.

Russia is also considering bidding for hosting the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Basketball World Cup in 2023, Mutko added.

Head of Russia's National Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov has said last December that Russia "might potentially apply" for the 2024 summer Olympics, while the deadline of sending in applications to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is this September.

The candidate list would be published by the IOC in the spring of 2016, while the final decision will be announced in 2017.