The World Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo 2020 (WWSE 2020) opened at China National Convention Center, Beijing on September 5, gathering a host of political leaders and industry experts who are from around the globe, participating on site or online. Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee (IOC), extended congratulations in his video speech.

(IOC President Thomas Bach extends congratulations on the opening of WWSE 2020.)

The event was co-sponsored by Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and International Data Group (IDG), and co-organized by the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) and seven international Olympic winter sports federations, with the support from Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Chinese Olympic Committee and All-China Sports Federation.

The event was incorporated into the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). CIFTIS is one of China’s three major exhibition platforms for opening-up, and the world’s first comprehensive exhibition for trade in services. Relying on the platform of CIFTIS, the WWSE, a specialized exhibition of winter sports, highlights the important role of the snow and ice industry in modern global trade in services, and provides good opportunities for international development of China’s snow and ice industry.

Liu Jingmin, Executive Vice Chairman of BODA, presided over the opening ceremony and main forum. Li Yingchuan, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, Executive Vice President of Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and Vice Chairman of BODA, and Friedrich Stift, Austrian Ambassador to China, addressed the event and delivered speeches. In addition to IOC president Thomas Bach, Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC member and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 Annika Saarikko, Minister of Science and Culture of Finland, Olle Dahlin, President of International Biathlon Union, and Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of International Ski Federation and Ex-officio Member of the IOC Coordination Commission for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, delivered video speeches.

Han Zirong, Full-time Vice President and Secretary General of Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wang Wei and Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice Chairmen of BODA, Jarno Syrjala, Finnish Ambassador to China, Signe Brudeset, Norwegian Ambassador to China, and Emanuele de Maigret, Deputy Head and Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Italy in China, attended the opening ceremony.

Mr. Thomas Bach said, “By bringing together the winter sports industry under the theme of ‘the Power of Ice and Snow’, the World Winter Sports Expo is the perfect platform to highlight this important contribution of sports to the recovery. The Expo is also an important step as China gets ready to welcome the world’s best winter sports athletes in 2022… Whether in sports or in preparing for the future, we are always stronger together.”

(Li Yingchuan, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of Chinese Olympic Committee, speaks at the event.)

Mr. Zhang Jiandong said, “I hope that we can make full use of the WWSE platform and give full play to our advantages to achieve more fruitful results through in-depth negotiations and cooperation with the down-to-earth attitude. I also hope that the WWSE Organising Committee can further innovate on the organization and operation mode of WWSE and cooperate closely with all parties at home and abroad on this more open and higher-level platform of the CIFTIS to continuously improve the organization of WWSE, promote high-quality development of snow and ice sports and industry, and make new and greater contributions to the hosting of a wonderful, extraordinary and outstanding Winter Olympic Games.”

(Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, Executive Vice President of Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and Vice Chairman of BODA, gives a speech at the opening ceremony.)

After that, Zhang Li, Vice President of IDG China, presided over the roundtable themed “Ways to Develop the Ice and Snow Industry”. Liu Fumin, Director of the Department of Sports Economy at the General Administration of Sport of China, Piao Xuedong, Director of the Marketing Department at Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Zhao Yinggang, Deputy Director of the Sustainable Development Committee at Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and President of the Chinese Luge Association, and Ms. Signe Brudeset, Mr. Jarno Syrjala and Mr. Emanuele de Maigret had dialogues at the roundtable.

(Chinese and overseas political leaders and industry experts at the event)

The five-day WWSE included exhibitions, theme forums, partnering and other activities to fully connect global resources of the ice and snow industry and enhance international exchanges and cooperation to promote sustainable and sound development of China’s ice and snow industry while building momentum for ensuring the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.