Hamburg is considering a bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games following the success of the soccer World Cup.

Mayor Ole von Beust said on Monday that a "very attractive concept" had been drawn up for a possible bid by the northern port city, Germany's second-biggest.

The mayor said Germany should take advantage of admiration abroad for its trouble-free staging of the World Cup but added that it was up to the national Olympic committee to decide on any bid.

Berlin, whose renovated Olympic Stadium hosted Sunday's World Cup final, also signaled renewed interest last month in an Olympic bid.

Its mayor has not specified when Berlin might make a bid, but von Beust identified it as Hamburg's likely rival.

"Berlin has had its World Cup," he said. "Hamburg wants the Olympic Games."

Hamburg was one of the 12 World Cup cities and hosted its last match at the quarterfinal stage. It lost out to the eastern city of Leipzig to be Germany's bid for the 2012 Olympics, which will be hosted by London.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2006)