Annual expo excels at attracting experts from around world

China Daily | Updated: 2019-10-29 07:35

Ice and snow sports equipment manufacturers from around the world displayed their latest products and technologies at the recent World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo, and international experts pooled their industrial expertise to boost China's preparation for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, organizers said.

Internationalization was one of the highlights at this year's expo, also known as the WWSE, Xu Zhou, president of International Data Group's Asian operations, told The Beijing News newspaper. IDG, an international exposition management company, is a co-organizer of the annual WWSE.

International exhibitors and industrial experts from some 20 countries and regions were attracted to the event for deeper cooperation with the WWSE 2019 than ever before, Xu added.

When the annual expo started in 2016, China was still relatively unknown in mass ice and snow sports. The purpose of hosting the WWSE was to introduce state-of-the-art equipment, technologies and expertise in the operation and management of ski resorts and winter sports training, in a bid to enable the country to quickly catch up on the international stage, she noted.

"Ice and snow sports heavyweights from Europe and America have a lot of experience worthy of learning, yet currently such countries face negative growth in their domestic markets," Xu said.

"Hosting the Winter Olympic Games provides ideal opportunities to develop the China market," she noted. "The move will also contribute to the international ice and snow sports market, as it will enable more countries to share China's development achievements and opportunities."

As the annual WWSE enters its fourth year, China is moving into a new era of market development and technological advances in the field.

According to a recent report by IDG Asia, China's ice and snow market is estimated to be valued at 1 trillion yuan ($141.61 million) by 2022.

China launched a development plan for the winter sports industry in March to enrich mass ice and snow activities, promote the expansion of ice and snow sports during all four seasons and to achieve the goal of involving 300 million people in ice and snow sports.

"It's an ambition to have 300 million Chinese people have access to winter sports," said Jan Dijkema, president of the International Skating Union. "The upcoming 2022 Olympics is a huge opportunity for China.

"The expo provides exchanges of information and technology, and it's an incredible opportunity for China to realize the ambition."

As the honored guest country of the WWSE 2019, Finland sent more than 40 companies and organizations to the expo.

Centering on the three themes of education and training, intelligent designs, and culture and tourism, they showcased Finland's sports and industrial assets, providing the latest information on the ice and snow world.

With rich resources in ice and snow sports, Finland has a long history of winter activities. Especially in the fields of education and training, venue design and construction, equipment manufacturing, and research and development of related technologies, organizers said.

Jarno Syrjala, Finnish ambassador to China, said during the Finland-themed day at the expo that he expected more cooperation with China in the ice and snow sports industry.

He said he hoped Finland will be able to participate in training Chinese athletes, providing sports equipment and building competition venues, thus providing a boost to China's preparations for the 2022 Games.

Peng Weiyong, an official from the General Administration of Sport of China, said this year has been designated as China-Finland Winter Sports Year, the first of its kind in China.

The two countries have cooperated in multiple fields, including industrial development, athlete training, sports education and R&D, Peng said.

China and Finland have complementary advantages in the winter sports industry, so their cooperation has enormous potential, he noted.

Other countries also eyed the China market and courted visitor attention with their leading-edge solutions at the expo. The Austrian pavilion featured a wealth of ice and snow sports resources and Norway shared with visitors its rich experiences in running winter sports training camps.

At the Canadian pavilion, visitors could wear virtual reality headsets to experience the thrill of skiing down the slopes of a snow-covered mountain. In addition to ice and snow sports, the North American country showcased its winter travel, including the Quebec Winter Carnival and polar lights in Yukon Territory.

The International Ski Federation's Secretary-general Sarah Lewis said the Winter Olympic Games is receiving increasing attention and its scale is growing.

As more Chinese participate in ice and snow sports, more people will involve themselves in learning professional skills and expertise, which will, in turn, help better organize the event, she said.

China Daily - Xinhua