The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to bid for the right to host the 13th World Swimming Championships organized by the Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur.

Seoul will begin the process by attending FINA's presentation for candidate cities this September in Lausanne, Switzerland. City officials say they will submit a bid in December after feasibility studies and the formation of a related task force.

The decision comes amid growing domestic interest in the sport due to teenage swimmer Park Tae-hwan's 400-meter freestyle win at the recent World Championships in Australia.