Shanghai will host one stop of the expanded Olympic Q-Series in 2028, the International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday, as the qualification event makes a return to the city that hosted the inaugural edition in 2024.
The four-stop series, formerly known as the Olympic Qualifier Series, will take place between May and June 2028 in Tokyo, Shanghai, Montreal and Orlando. Shanghai's stop is scheduled for May 11 to 14, one week after the opening event in Tokyo.
The Olympic Q-Series will feature six sports: 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, climbing, flag football and skateboarding. The sports program for each stop will be confirmed at a later date.
The expanded series builds on the success of the inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series in 2024, which included stops in Shanghai and Budapest and featured multiple sports in compact, festival-style urban settings.
The 2028 edition will open in Tokyo from May 4 to 7, a city where 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, climbing and skateboarding made their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo 2020 Games. After Shanghai, the series crosses to Montreal from June 1 to 4 at the 1976 Olympic Park, before concluding in Orlando from June 8 to 11.
The Olympic Q-Series serves as a key qualification pathway for the LA28 Olympic Games, offering athletes a decisive opportunity to secure direct quota places shortly before the Games begin.
Shanghai to host Olympic Q-Series in 2028
The world's first methanol duel-fuel container ship was completed in Nantong of east China's Jiangsu Province on Friday, marking a major milestone in green shipbuilding for ultra-large vessels.
The "OOCL Wisdom," named after its future operator Orient Overseas Container Line, stretches nearly 400 meters in length and over 60 meters in width. It can hold up to 24,168 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) standard containers, with a deadweight of 225,000 tonnes.
Wang Zhigang, a research and development designer at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry's Nantong shipyard, explained the vessel’s cutting-edge capabilities and how it is well equipped to traverse the globe.
"It uses the world's largest methanol dual-fuel supply system, equipped with an ultra-large methanol fuel tank with a capacity of 14,300 cubic meters. This gives the ship a cruising range of 15,000 nautical miles, enough to complete a single voyage from Asia to the far reaches of Europe," Wang said.
Insiders noted that the "OOCL Wisdom's" core breakthrough lies in its world-leading dual-fuel power system, which can flexibly switch between methanol and conventional fuel to meet the urgent demand for de-carbonization in the global shipping industry.
"Once switched to methanol mode, sulfur oxide and particulate matter emissions drop sharply, nearly to zero. Nitrogen oxide emissions are slashed by 30 to 50 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions are cut by 150,000 tonnes per vessel per year," said Li Yong, deputy general manager of the Nantong shipyard.
Following its completion and naming ceremony, the vessel will now enter sea trials, with its official delivery scheduled for June.
World's largest methanol dual-fuel container ship completed in breakthrough for green shipbuilding
