BEIJING,  (Xinhua) -- The 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was held over the past six days in Beijing at the China National Convention Center and the Shougang Park, both of which played host to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games earlier this year.

Near the Big Air Shougang at the Park, a Beijing 2022 Olympic venue repurposed from a steel mill, the 2022 CIFTIS sports services exhibition was opened to show cutting-edge technologies, applications and products of the sports industry.

"We always knew about the formidable willingness, capabilities and commitment that we were facing with the organizers in China," Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games Executive Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said via video link at a CIFTIS sports conference, adding that China would contribute more to the Olympics and the global sports industry.

OPPORTUNITY

The China National Convention Center, one of the 2022 CIFTIS venues, served as the Main Media Center during the 2022 Winter Olympics. Now, the posters of the Beijing 2022 motto "Together for a Shared Future", the photos of the Games highlights, and CIFTIS signs jointly decorate the venue.

This is also the first time for the Center to host an exhibition after the Games. "What we see is the commitment of Beijing to sustain this effect in a long term by using sports as a catalyst for sustainable development," said Marie Sallois, director of corporate and sustainable development of the IOC.

"The Games just delivered was once more outstanding. To develop winter sport competence was always identified as a challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity. This exhibition is for world companies to demonstrate their capabilities in winter sports, especially for innovation," Dubi said.

Zhang Li, vice-president of the China branch of IDG Capital, an organizer of the CIFTIS sports services section, sees the industry's development worldwide.

"Before the Beijing Winter Olympics was held, I knew a world-leading snowboard company in Europe that did not pay much attention to the Chinese market. The company's director was not familiar with China and preferred the strong European market. But since China presented an outstanding Winter Games, the company swiftly adjusted its strategy and sent a team to China," Zhang recalled.

As more than 300 million Chinese people have participated in winter sports since the awarding of the 2022 Games, an increasing number of people are expected to enjoy themselves on the ice and snow in the future.

"The technological development enables a wider range of participation, boosting the winter sports industry," said Zhang.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCE

Wearing AR/VR facilities displayed at the CIFTIS sports exhibition, visitors can "experience" the thrill of winter sports such as ski jumping and alpine skiing. A pair of tension-adjustable skiing shoes help make skiers feel comfortable on different snowfields.

"Through artificial intelligent technologies, the skiing shoes can receive data from the sensors which can detect the altitude, landform, and the hardness of the snow. Then, the skiing shoes will adjust the tension accordingly," said exhibitor Zhang Andong.

In addition, the technologies used during the Olympics can also be found at the CIFTIS sports exhibition, including an intelligent winter sports training system, the online cloud digital museum of Winter Olympics, and multicam replay 360-degree free viewing angle system.

The sports-related technologies were developed at a rapid speed over the past few years and will continue to serve the public, insiders say.

"According to our survey, many exhibitors have signed cooperation projects with each other or the government. The CIFTIS is to provide a platform cultivating more outcomes," Zhang said.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The 2022 CIFTIS attracted more than 400 Global Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises to attend the fair offline. While at the sports section, more than 100 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions displayed their products at the venue, including Austria, Italy, Japan, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands.

At the sports exhibition, the snow-making equipment from Italy and the cable cars from Austria that featured during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics were still eye-catching.

Andreas Riecken, Austrian ambassador to China, said right beside a cable car, "China is a partner of Austria in the development of winter sports. Our cooperation should go both ways that the Chinese coming to Austria and Austrians visiting China. China's winter sports industry will be even better in the future, and a lot of people will enjoy the process."

Nico Schiettekatte, counsellor of healthcare, welfare and sports at the Netherlands' embassy in China, also expressed his wish to enhance cooperation between the two nations.

"I hope China and the Netherlands can strengthen cooperation in the ice and snow industry. The Netherlands' companies have already invested in the ice rinks in Beijing and Shanghai. It is always great to enable more young people to participate in winter sports," he said.

"The world knows that ice and snow is never too far thanks to the very strong vision of the Chinese authorities and their capabilities to deliver the Games," Dubi noted, adding that the country is always an exciting destination on the world map of the Olympics.