The "Finland Day" themed event of the 2019 Winter Expo was held, with ice and snow diplomacy boosting industrial collaboration

      On October 18, 2019, the "Finland Day" themed event of the 4th International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo was grandly held at the Beijing National Convention Center. As is well known, Finland has a long history in winter sports, and its abundant ice and snow resources provide unique conditions for the development of such activities. Finland is a leading country in areas such as winter sports and education and training, design and construction of sports venues and facilities, manufacturing of ice and snow products and equipment, and R&D of ice and snow technologies. This year, China and Finland have designated 2019 as the "China-Finland Winter Sports Year," and Finland is also the Guest Country of Honor at the Winter Expo. Taking the opportunity of hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China and Finland have launched numerous collaborations in the fields of winter sports and industries.

      At the beginning of the forum, a "Santa Claus" from Finland enlivened the atmosphere of the venue, bringing the happiness of Finland to the scene and sharing the Finnish people’s heartfelt love for ice and snow sports. The Winter Expo has built a platform for in-depth exchanges between China and Finland, and he hopes that the guests present will engage in deep discussions on how to promote the common development of ice and snow sports in both countries.

The "Santa Claus" from Finland and Su Xiaoyue, Commercial Counselor of the Finnish Embassy in China

      Finnish Ambassador to China Hannu Himanen spoke about the "China-Finland Sports Year." He expressed his hope to fully integrate ice and snow education, culture, and sports, and to engage in commercial cooperation with China in the ice and snow industry to promote the sustainable development of the sector. He stated that some high-quality Finnish companies will showcase their professional ice and snow products at this Winter Expo. Meanwhile, Finland hopes to participate in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics by being involved in the training and coaching of Chinese athletes, supplying winter sports equipment, building more winter sports centers and venues, promoting the development of winter sports training, and supporting the sustainable development of ice and snow sports and the preparation for the Winter Olympics.

Finnish Ambassador to China Hannu Himanen

      Finnish Minister of Science and Culture Hanna Kosonen introduced a series of innovative and sustainable solutions at the forum to assist in the preparation of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. She said Finland is honored to be the first country to have a bilateral relationship-themed Winter Sports Year with China, and the bilateral cooperative relationship between China and Finland has laid a very solid foundation. Finland has always been a sports-loving nation, with sports deeply rooted in the blood and integrated into all aspects of Finnish life. Finland possesses professional ice and snow sports technology and experience. Hanna Kosonen hopes that the bilateral cooperative relationship between China and Finland in winter sports will continue to grow.

Finnish Minister of Science and Culture Hanna Kosonen

      In his speech, Peng Weiyong, Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Affairs of the General Administration of Sport of China, stated that 2019 is the China-Finland Winter Sports Year, the first sports-themed year jointly held by China and another country. China and Finland have collaborated in multiple areas such as Winter Olympics training preparations, the development of the ice and snow industry, sports education and training, and sports scientific research, achieving gratifying results. The successful bid and preparation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have created a historic opportunity for the popularization and promotion of winter sports in China and the rapid development of the ice and snow industry. Finland boasts abundant ice and snow resources, a long history in the development of the winter sports industry, mature operational models, and rich management experience. In contrast, China’s winter sports industry is just getting started, but it has vast market potential, fast development speed, and promising future prospects. The complementary nature of the two countries’ winter sports industries is strong, with great potential for collaboration. China sincerely welcomes the Finnish sports industry to share in the opportunities presented by the development of China’s winter sports industry, and hopes Finland will become a participant and witness in this development.

Peng Weiyong, Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Affairs of the General Administration of Sport of China

      Taking the Winter Expo as an opportunity, China and Finland are fostering diversified cooperation across various vertical sectors of the ice and snow industry. At the forum, the Finnish Sports Institute of Finland (Kisakallio Sports Institute) signed framework agreements with Shanghai University of Sport, Xi’an Physical Education University, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Kunlun Red Star Ice Hockey Club, and Beijing World Youth Education Technology Co., Ltd. The Finnish Suomu Ski Resort signed cooperation agreements with the Zhangjiakou Wanlong Ski Resort, the International Ice Dragon Boat Federation, and Huati Sports Dynamics. The Finnish Fursa International Leather Industrial Park signed distribution agreements with Finland’s Mikaya Ltd. and KSF Sports Ltd. These agreements will jointly promote the development of ice and snow culture, sports, and education between China and Finland.

Signing ceremony of Chinese and Finnish enterprises

      As a world powerhouse in ice and snow sports, Finland has excellent professional athletes and top-tier winter sports coaches. Today’s event invited Tanja Poutiainen-Rinne, silver medalist in women’s giant slalom at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics and member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Finnish Olympic Committee, and Miko Voutilainen, coach of the Finnish national cross-country skiing team, to share their views on ice and snow sports. Tanja Poutiainen-Rinne shared her professional journey, stating that national-level athletes should serve as leaders and role models. She believes role models have a tremendous motivational and guiding effect on younger generations, which is why she chose to remain involved in sports after retirement to inspire and train young athletes and develop their careers. Miko Voutilainen, coach of the Finnish national cross-country skiing team and former head coach of the Chinese national team, led the team to win five gold medals at the 2017 World Championships. He currently works at the Vuokatti Olympic Training Center, which has now become an official partner of the Winter Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Paralympic Committee. Over 200 athletes from the Chinese national team have trained there. He shared a series of competitive ice and snow knowledge and skills at the event, offering insights for the in-depth exchange and development of winter sports between China and Finland.

Tanja Poutiainen-Rinne, Member of the Athletes’ Commission of the Finnish Olympic Committee

Miko Voutilainen, Coach of the Finnish National Cross-Country Skiing Team

      Industrial exchange is also a topic of mutual concern for China and Finland. The forum invited senior executives from outstanding Finnish companies to share their experiences and insights. Mikko Särkinen, Market Advisor of Lahti, Finland, shared the city’s urban collaborations in winter sports and tourism. He said that 2019 is a very important year for winter sports cooperation between China and Finland, and the door to collaboration has been opened. Finland has always maintained an open attitude and hopes for more cooperation with China. Antti Törmä, CEO of Finnish company Vepe, introduced his company, stating that Vepe will promote the development of China’s ice hockey ecosystem, expecting to bring more Finnish companies to provide solutions for China and truly introduce Finnish winter sports culture to the country. Elina, CEO of Reima, spoke at the forum, sharing the global development status of functional children's clothing with attendees. Reima hopes to encourage more children to participate in winter sports and better serve children’s growth.

Mikko Särkinen, Market Advisor of Lahti, Finland

Antti Törmä, CEO of Finnish Vepe Company

Elina, CEO of Finnish Reima Company

Roundtable forum venue

      At the end of the event, a roundtable forum discussion was held. Jyri Oksanen, General Manager of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association’s National Junior Team, served as moderator and invited Lika Lehtimäki, Director of the FIS Academy GISS (Get into Snow Sports) program, Mikko Salonen, CEO of the Finnish Olympic Committee, Jarkko Aro, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Finnish Snowboard Association, Jani Homa, Market Development Director of the Business Joensuu Promotion Agency, and Ismo Hämäläinen, Executive Director of the Finnish Ski Association, to engage in a lively discussion on three topics: how to promote the development of Finnish winter sports, how to advance the dissemination of ice and snow sports culture, and how to better assist in the preparation of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The participating guests offered many valuable suggestions.

      At the end of the meeting, Su Xiaoyue, Commercial Counselor of the Finnish Embassy in China, delivered a closing speech for the Finland Day themed event. He believes that China’s goal of getting 300 million people involved in ice and snow sports is very important, and that China and Finland should deepen cooperation in areas such as athlete training, children’s ice and snow sports, and sports equipment and infrastructure. He used the phrase “If you have a confidant, distance cannot keep you apart” to describe the friendship between China and Finland, and expressed hope for deeper ice and snow industry collaboration between the two countries in the future.

Su Xiaoyue, Commercial Counselor of the Finnish Embassy in China

      The "Finland Day" themed event fully demonstrated Finland’s expertise in ice and snow, while also highlighting that cooperation between China and Finland is a significant action under the global integration framework, holding great importance for international exchange and collaboration in ice and snow sports and industries. Taking the Winter Expo as an opportunity, China and Finland will effectively connect ice and snow industry resources, establish a number of typical cases and excellent models, enabling more people to enjoy the fun of ice and snow sports and supporting the development of the ice and snow industries in both countries.