GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 11, China Sports Culture Expo & China Sports Tourism Expo 2018 opened in Guangzhou. Li Yingchuan, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China (GAS); Huang Ningsheng, Vice Governor of Guangdong Province; and Wen Guohui, Mayor of the Guangzhou attended and gave addresses at the opening ceremony. Also present were Liu Fumin, Director of the Sports Economy Department of GAS; Tu Xiaodong, Director of the Publicity Department of GAS; Tian Ye, Director of the Sports Culture Development Center of GAS; guests from relevant departments; bureaus and subordinate entities of the General Administration of Sport of China (GAS); guests from governments of domestic provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions; guests from sports bureaus of domestic provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions; guests from relevant international sports organizations; guests from consulates general of some foreign countries in Guangzhou; exhibitors' representatives; and journalists. Wang Dong, Vice Mayor of the Guangzhou hosted the opening ceremony.
Guided by the new ideas in the new era, this year the expositions were held in Guangzhou, a city in the frontier of the reform and opening-up, were hosted in cooperation with a professional international company, and invited international sports celebrities for the first time. With a larger scale, richer content and more diversified activities, the expositions created a new prospect. With the expositions as the platform, the expos extensively publicized sports culture and promoted sports spirit to provide tremendous spiritual strength for the new era and the new journey; they also promoted the integrated development of sports culture and sports tourism, the boost to economic transformation and upgrading, and the meeting of the people's new life needs and expectations. With the exposition as the bridge, the expos hoped to strengthen Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, tap potential for industrial cooperation and promote the new development of new sports.
With the theme "New Era, New Sports, New Life", China Sports Culture Expo & China Sports Tourism Expo 2018 highlighted international vision, professional market operation, crossover integration, characteristic sports culture experience and coordinated the development of "Belt and Road" regions, and aimed to build an international, professional, market-oriented and high-end platform for the exhibition, exchange and integrated development of sports culture and the sports industry.
The expositions included six thematic zones: Sports Culture Zone, Sports Culture & Tourism Creativity Zone, Sports Organization Zone, Local Sports Culture & Tourism Zone, Sports Technology and Broad Health Zone, and Sports Brand Zone. Subordinate entities of GAS, nearly 30 domestic provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as more than 400 renowned domestic and foreign enterprises participated in the exhibition, with a total exhibition area of 40,000 square meters. Through four sectors: "Cultural China", "Glorious China", "Healthy China", and "Beautiful China", Sports Culture Zone, the largest zone of the expositions, showcased the extensiveness, profoundness and brilliance of Chinese sports culture, conveyed the expectation of the Chinese people for a healthy life and presented a visual feast to visitors. Sports Culture and Tourism Creativity Zone highlighted sports culture and tourism creativity products, as well as sports tourism service agencies, to promote the innovative development of sports culture and tourism. International Sports Organization Zone attracted sports organizations in countries and regions like the U.S.A., Thailand and Nordic Countries, as well as international sports federations like the International Ski Federation, to build a bridge of sports culture and industry communication between China and the rest of the world. Local Sports Culture and Tourism Zone showcased the unique sports culture and sports tourism resources of domestic provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and displayed the fruitful results of local sports development. With strong interactivity, modern sense and technology sense, Sports Technology and Broad Health Zone and Sports Brand Zone helped visitors experience the profound impact of technology and sports on life.
A series of high-level forums were held during the exposition. "China International Sports Culture and Sports Tourism Conference" was held on the morning of December 11. Li Yingchuan, Deputy Director of GAS, attended the summit. Tu Xiaodong, Director of the Press and Publicity Department of GAS; Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen, President of the Badminton World Federation; Burton Shipley, FIBA Central Board Member, FIBA Oceania President and Chairman of Coordination Commission of FIBA Basketball World Cup China 2019; and Timothy Tsun-Ting Fok, President of Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, delivered keynote speeches. Huang Jin, Deputy Director of the Sports Culture Development Center of GAS, hosted the summit. In the ensuing dialogue, Jose Damiani, President of the International Mind Sports Association; Gianni Merlo, President of the International Sports Press Association; Xu Haifeng, China's first Olympic goal medalist; Gao Min, China's first Olympic gold medalist in the springboard event; Hugo Shong, Founding Chairman of IDG Capital; and other guests discussed how sports play a greater role in meeting the people's need for a good life and promoting economic and social development under the theme of "New Era, New Sports, New Life".
To help participants feel the charm of sports culture, the exposition also presented more than 10 supporting activities, including traditional ethnic sports shows with strong regional features, mind sports games, sports collection auction, traditional Chinese archery, basketball, touring car, football and curling, to meet visitors' diverse needs for sports experience. The "fine sports tourism projects of China Sports Tourism Expo 2018" will be released during the exposition to establish models for fine regional sports tourism projects and promote capital-project connection.
Remarkably, the mascot "Xingxing" appeared at the exposition. Inspired by a "dancing lion", it is an indispensable regional icon that embodies the profound connotation of Chinese traditional culture.
Hosted by the General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), China Sports Culture Expo is the only exposition hosted by GAS; hosted by the All-China Sports Federation, Chinese Olympic Committee and the China Tourism Association, China Sports Tourism Expo is a high-level sports tourism exhibition. With a period of 3 days, both expositions are organized by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, Sports Culture Development Center of General Administration of Sport of China, International Data Group (IDG) and IDG Sports. This year the expositions were held in Guangzhou, a city at the frontier of the reform and opening-up, were hosted in cooperation with a professional international company, and invited international sports celebrities for the first time, creating a new prospect for sports development. With focus on the new era, new requirements, new life, new needs, new sports and new development, the expositions are intended to promote the integrated development of tourism, culture, tourism and other fields, and boost sports power building.
