The Sports Services section of the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was run from September 10 to 14 at Shougang Park in Beijing. During the event, Zhou Ling, Deputy Director General of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, gave an interview on topics such as how the city plans to build itself into an "International City of Sports Events", revealing three categories of sports events that will be prioritized.
The first category comprises international top-tier events, such as the WTT China Smash, the China Open, the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), and the World Athletics Championships. This year, the city has already announced 198 premium events based on venues of both Summer and Winter Olympic Games and plans to host more than 1,280 sports events at various levels throughout the year. The second category covers robot events, such as the first World Humanoid Robot Games held in August. At Hall 12 of this year's CIFTIS, matches like "3V3" football and kickboxing were staged, along with a showcase of champion robots. The third category features virtual sports games, highlighted by the upcoming inaugural China Virtual Sports to be launched in Beijing.
In addition to these three categories, Beijing will also look to introduce emerging sports events such as those centered on BMX, pickleball, and rock climbing, which are especially popular among young people nowadays. At the same time, the city will continue to promote mass sports events with local characteristics, such as the Beijing Marathon and the Beijing Youth Three Major Balls Open that covers football, basketball and volleyball.
To make the most of its status as the world's first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and to boost sports consumption, Beijing plans to build a comprehensive event system, increase event frequency, and improve venue utilization. These endeavors are aimed at fully capitalizing on the resources of the city's Olympic facilities. Meanwhile, the city will enhance the integration of sports events with culture, tourism, commerce, technology and other sectors. Technologies will be leveraged to empower events, extending several industry chains such as those for smart equipment and event data services. Additionally, by working with commercial centers, Beijing will create an "event consumption ecosystem", transforming the audiences’ immediate buzz into sustained foot traffic for shopping malls and business districts. This will make the sports event economy a pillar for the growth of the sports services sector.
(Source: Beijing Business Today)
