Kasper And Lewis Visit World Winter Sports Expo Beijing

The winter sports world witnessed the grand opening of the third World Winter Sports Expo 2018 in Beijing last week and FIS President Gian Franco Kasper and FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis were on location along with representatives of the IOC and many other winter sports federations following the Coordination Commission visit to Beijing. 

The event was co-organised by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and co-sponsored by Beijing Olympic City Development Centre and IDG China World Expo Ltd. and received support from the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2022, China Olympics Committee, All-China Sports Federation as well as various other bodies in China and abroad. 

As the Beijing Olympics brings immense opportunities, the Winter Sports Expo is aiming at "engaging 300 million people in winter sports" and committed to integrating the authoritative information resources of global winter sports and accelerating the promotion and popularisation of winter sports.

Themed "The Power of Ice and Snow", the event covered a wide spectrum of sectors across winter sports, including the ice and snow industry, tourism & leisure and youth training, with over 20 parallel forums and supporting events also being held.The Expo attracted over 500 Chinese and foreign brands, and nearly 24,000 representatives from specialist agencies, with the total number of visitors expected to top 150,000.

The Organising Committee for the Beijing 2022 Games also presented at the WWSE for the third consecutive year, allowing visitors to see the progress in the Games' preparatory work, the distribution of venues, and stadium planning, as well as finding out more about the sports and competitions to be held at the Games.

Gian-Franco Kasper, during his opening keynote speech said he believed the third WWSE showed the maturity of China's winter sports market. 

Sarah Lewis was part of the panel discussing the power of snow and ice advised the organisers of the legacy opportunities for the Olympic venues. "We can use sustainable methods to build and use ski resorts, so that natural and human resources can be fully utilised. For example, the ski resorts could also be used as mountain bike venues in summer."

Lewis also stressed the importance of ski training. "We know that 80 percent of China's skiers are beginners, for whom safety is paramount. They should enjoy winter sports without fear. Therefore, relevant qualified instructors and teachers who have safety in mind is important. This is one of the fundamental aspects of the Get into Snow Sports GISS-China course, as well as having fun learning to ski and snowboard.”