Sports Services Section of CIFTIS 2024 Begins a New Chapter, Pooling Global Top Sports Resources
Sports Services Section of CIFTIS 2024 Unveiled, Shaping a New Blueprint for Sports Industry
BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On September 12, 2024, the Sports Service Section of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was unveiled at the Shougang Park in Beijing. This year’s theme, “Beijing, Where Events Come Alive!”, keeps a foothold in the city’s strategic role as “four centers”, highlighting innovative sports services and premier sporting events. With the aim of establishing Beijing as a dual-Olympic international sports event city, this section focuses on the development of new quality productive forces in sports services. This includes a spotlight on emerging sports, trendy sports, and digital sports. Through exhibitions, forums, and various events, especially trendy sports like BMX racing, Teqball, street dance, squash, and virtual cycling, which are popular among young people, it seeks to enhance communication and exchange in sports services while exploring new avenues for high-quality industry growth.
This section spans 11,100 square meters, involving 353 sports services organizations both online and offline. Among the offline exhibitors, 58% are international participants, and 34.8% are industry leaders.
Focusing on Premium Events and Emerging Sports Trends, Showcasing New Vitality in Sports Services Industry
Four exhibition zones are set up, including International Sports Events Services, Winter Sports Services, Sports Integration Services and Emerging and Trendy Sports Services, showcasing the latest achievements and forefront exploration in the global sports services industry.
The International Sports Events Services Exhibition has captivated visitors with its distinctive blend of science and technology and interactive experiences. The AIES Beijing Open is in full swing, featuring a self-developed smart competition system that enables athletes to participate in the same event from various locations and times. Smart cycling, rowing, and golf merge traditional sports with cutting-edge digital technologies like digital twins, AI, and perception and interactive technology. It offers participants an immersive and innovative smart fitness experience with digital technology, utilizing real-world locations such as Chang’an Avenue, Shougang Park, and Yongding River to craft virtual tracks.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming WTT China Smash and the 2024 China Open, set to take place in Beijing, will also enchant visitors with on-site displays, providing them with an immersive experience of the excitement and allure of premier international sports events.
The Winter Sports Services Exhibition shows Winter Olympics achievements, Olympic venue development, and ice and snow equipment. The booth for Yanqing’s sports enterprises stands out with over a dozen leading companies, including Beijing Zhongguancun Yanqing Park Investment Development Co., Ltd., presenting cutting-edge technologies in winter sports. Chinese snowboard brand Overide features its self-developed range of lightweight snowboards, goggles, and protective gear, demonstrating significant advancements in domestic ice and snow equipment tailored for Chinese users.
The Sports Integration Services Exhibition covers smart sports, fitness for all, sports education, and sports training. Since its founding in 2001, OKSTAR has been dedicated to developing innovative solutions for public fitness and creating new platforms for it. OKSTAR introduced its “Fitness-for-All Cabin Gym” on site, which drew considerable attention from enthusiastic visitors. Besides, Nanjing Wande Group showcased its WandePlay Sports Parks, presenting a variety of high-quality and innovative scenarios and design solutions for children’s and teenagers’ sports activities.
The Emerging and Trendy Sports Services Exhibition showcases a wide range of popular sports, such as street dance, parkour, skateboarding, BMX racing, squash, and Teqball. Multiple top-tier competitions and public engagement activities will be held during the exhibition. WOW Sailing from Qinhuangdao made its debut by unveiling five new sailboats from British RS Sailing this year. Visitors can explore sailboat design, experience maritime culture, and be inspired to visit the coast for an exhilarating and challenging sailing experience.
As the guest country of honor of this CIFTIS, France showed its achievements and expertise in emerging sports. France’s National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) demonstrated its training systems for football, tennis, and equestrian, while Wavelandes presented its surfing park project.
Furthermore, this section organized live interactions with Olympic champions. On the afternoon of September 12, Olympic diving champion Cao Yuan and Olympic artistic swimming gold medalist Chang Hao graced the exhibition, sharing stories, engaging with attendees, and signing autographs.
Exploring New Opportunities in Sports Development, Accelerating the Construction of Beijing into a Dual-Olympic International Sports Event City
It is planned to hold one main forum and two parallel forums. The main forum was held as scheduled on the afternoon of September 12. Distinguished attendees delivered speeches and shared their insights on promoting high-quality development in the global sports industry. These include Zhou Jinqiang, Member of the Leading Party Members Group and Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC); Mu Peng, Vice Mayor of Beijing, and Member of the Leading Party Members Group of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality; Yang Xuedong, Director of the Sports Economy Department at the GASC; Tong Lixin, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Director of the Water Sports Management Center at the GASC; Yu Qingfeng, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports; Guo Jingjing, Olympic Champion in Diving; Kenneth Fok, President of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation; Lewis Neal, British Trade Commissioner for China; Jason Ferguson, President of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association; Thomas Lund, Secretary General of the Badminton World Federation; and Naquib bin Hamdan, Director of the Department of Culture, Arts, Tourism and Sports, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Malaysia.
At the CIFTIS Sports Services Main Forum, the GASC released the “China Sports Services Trade Development Report 2023”, while the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports launched the “Dual Olympic 100” premium events initiative. Numerous sports services projects are expected to finalize agreements at this section, with the annual contract value anticipated to reach a new record.
