From December 11 to 13, the 2018 China Sports Culture Expo and China Sports Tourism Expo will be held in Guangzhou, the "sports capital." At that time, governments from home and abroad, sports organizations, industry leaders, top experts from leading sports universities, and Olympic champions will gather at the Poly World Trade Center Expo in Guangzhou to witness this grand sports event in China.
The China Sports Culture Expo is hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Olympic Committee, while the China Sports Tourism Expo is co-hosted by the All-China Sports Federation, the Chinese Olympic Committee, and the China Tourism Association. Both expos are organized by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, the Sports Culture Development Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, International Data Group (IDG), and IDG Sports Co., Ltd. With the theme "New Era, New Sports, New Life," the expos aim to build an international, professional, market-oriented, and high-end platform from a national strategic perspective to promote the exchange of the sports industry and the integrated development of sports culture and sports tourism.
The exhibition covers an area of over 40,000 square meters, with 400 brands participating, and is composed of six major exhibition areas: Sports Culture, Sports Tourism, International Sports Organizations, Local Sports and Cultural Tourism, Sports Technology and Wellness, and Sports Brands & Others. During the expo, a series of forums led by the main forum, the "China International Sports Culture and Sports Tourism Summit Forum," will be held, along with more than ten supporting activities.
Olympic champions join in; diverse activities unlock new attendee experiences
The 2018 China Sports Culture Expo and China Sports Tourism Expo have been comprehensively upgraded. Not only has the scale of the exhibition, the positioning of the expo, and the level of exhibitors far exceeded previous editions, but to allow domestic and international tourists and attendees from all walks of life to experience the most vibrant sports culture and sports tourism feast, a variety of exciting supporting activities have also been introduced. Rich in content and diverse in form, these interactive activities not only showcase the charm of sports culture and promote lifelong fitness awareness but also unlock new attendee experiences.
During the expo, there will be performances that combine excellent traditional sports culture and local characteristics, such as the "Yunnan Ethnic Minority Fitness Exercises," "Tianshui Clamp Dance," and "Traditional Archery Culture," as well as winter sports-themed zones like the "Children’s Snow Theme Park Snow Experience" and "Curling Fun Challenge." Additionally, China’s first Olympic gold medalist Xu Haifeng, China’s first Olympic women's springboard diving gold medalist Gao Min, will appear on-site to participate in ambassador series events, engaging with audiences up close to share their rich experiences in training and competition, how they became world champions, and to personally guide participants in interactive activities.
Also serving as image ambassadors for this year’s China Sports Culture Expo and China Sports Tourism Expo are Yang Yang, Chair of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Sports Commission; Lei Sheng, China’s men’s foil Olympic champion; Zhang Changning, China’s women’s volleyball team outside hitter; and Wu Jingyu, Olympic taekwondo champion.
Industry leaders attend; high-end conferences create an international calling card for the expo
Based on a high-end international perspective, the expo fully leverages the professional resources of one of its organizers, International Data Group (IDG), to build an international industry exchange platform. It invites numerous domestic and international industry leaders, experts, and scholars to jointly discuss current key sports topics, share international innovative concepts and advanced practices, striving to become a world-class exhibition and display platform for sports culture and sports tourism.
The main forum, the "China International Sports Culture and Sports Tourism Summit Forum," the Directors’ Forum, and its series of forums will explore in depth from an international perspective hot topics such as sports events, museum development, Olympic city development, technological innovation, sports tourism, innovation and entrepreneurship in the sports and cultural tourism industries, youth sports development, and the ice and snow industry.
At the "China International Sports Culture and Sports Tourism Summit Forum," invitations will be extended to World Badminton Federation President Poul-Erik Høyer, FIBA Central Board Member and Oceania President Burton Shipley (also Chair of the FIBA 2019 World Cup Coordination Committee), and Hong Kong Olympic Committee Chairman Timothy Fok to deliver keynote speeches. Tian Ye, Director of the Sports Culture Development Center of the General Administration of Sport of China; José Damiani, President of the International Mind Sports Association; Mélanie Duparc, Secretary-General of the World Union of Olympic Cities; Gianni Merlo, President of the International Sports Press Association; and IDG Capital Founder and Chairman Xiong Xiaoge will engage in a high-level dialogue on the main theme of "New Era, New Sports, New Life," jointly planning the transformation and upgrading of the sports industry, promoting the development of local sports culture, and creating unique local sports tourism destinations.
Photo: On the left is World Badminton Federation President Poul-Erik Høyer, on the right is Hong Kong Olympic Committee Chairman Timothy Fok
At the Olympic Culture Development Forum, the expo will invite Olympic culture researchers, leaders of national individual sports organizations, and Olympic venue operation experts to discuss important topics such as the planning and layout of Olympic culture in cities, the rational use of post-Games venues, and international cultural cooperation and exchanges among Olympic cities. It aims to blaze a sustainable development and innovation path for Olympic culture in host cities; international representatives of sports culture and sports tourism will also be invited to participate in business and other forms of exchanges and cooperation. Former Vice Governor of Tokyo, Japan, and Emeritus Professor of Meiji University Aoyama Itsuo, and Mélanie Duparc, Secretary-General of the World Union of Olympic Cities, will give keynote speeches.
The 2018 China Sports Culture Expo and China Sports Tourism Expo will align with the overall development of the sports industry, further innovate and reform, closely focus on the "new" elements of the new era, new sports, and new life, deeply implement the important discourse and spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping on sports work, firmly grasp the positioning that the dream of building a strong sports nation is closely linked to the Chinese Dream, and while creating a world-class sports culture and sports tourism feast, better meet the people’s growing expectations for a better life.