This issue of Leigh Interview – Snow And Ice Dialogue 2022 invites Ms. Sarah Lewis, former Secretary-General of the International Ski Federation (2000–2020).
Li Zhang, Vice President of Asia Data Group
Sarah! As a friend, I know that you started as an Olympian for alpine skiing 35 years ago and have since continued to devote yourself to winter sports as Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS). Over the past few years, you have been actively promoting the development of winter sports in China and helping to prepare for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. What impressed you most about all the preparations China has done so far for the Beijing 2022 Olympics?
World Sports Leader - Secretary General of the International Ski Federation from 2000 to 2020 Sarah Lewis
What impressed me most was beijing's practical achievements in preparing for the Olympic Games, making full use of the opportunities presented by the Winter Olympics. China has already achieved remarkable results before, first of all, such as leading the masses to participate in winter sports, forming teams with competitive advantages, cultivating athletes in various sports, actively participating, and not being prepared in the future to develop its potential to become a winter sports power.
Second, China applies state-of-the-art technology to infrastructure, something that other countries have not done. As can be seen from the Olympic Games, the beautiful venues in the Olympic Games help Chinese understand and enjoy winter sports as a part of their lives. These facilities will also be used for large-scale events and regular events in the future.
Nowadays, ordinary Chinese people have responded to the call of "300 million people on ice and snow" with practical actions, which has created a new economy for localities, regions and China. At the same time, the government is also paying attention to people's health, especially in winter, people are mostly facing the computer, not exercising enough. Winter sports changed that and got people moving. Many aspects show the benefits of exercise.
China has the strength to become a winter sports powerhouse, manifested in the events it hosts, the health and well-being of ordinary people, resorts, cities and regions with a new economic model, as evidenced by equipment, manufacturing, exports and tourism. These are all part of the estate planning and are also impressive. China has not retained all of this in its national development plans, but has worked hard to present itself on the international stage of winter sports and is also reflected in the winter sports industry.
Thank you for your kind words. Given all the work we've done before, I'm very much looking forward to the day when Beijing, as the world's first double Olympic city, will host this wonderful event. What about you? What are your expectations for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics?
I do have very, very high expectations. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Epidemic Prevention Manual has formulated extremely comprehensive and meticulous epidemic prevention and control measures, and I think it is undoubtedly necessary to ensure the safety of activities in accordance with the manual. China has proven itself to be able to respond to COVID-19 in the best possible way and to minimize infections caused by other countries. The same goes for the Winter Olympics, but the focus will be on the competition, which will be very, very smooth, with events held in state-of-the-art venues that are built and managed by the best experts.
I have high expectations for the projects that China has always been very good at. But I also think that unfamiliar winter sports events will be a surprise to the public, so I will say so. Please continue to pay attention to and look forward to the events without suspense, and witness the success of Chinese athletes in all sports, and will continue to be surprised. This media coverage uses the latest, if not the future, technology, there is no audience on the spot, and the event will be broadcast live to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, so media coverage is very important. In addition, during the recent epidemic period, the International Olympic Committee organized the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, and the Beijing Winter Olympics can learn from and improve these measures, and will also have a better understanding of the preparations to be made.
Yes, we can refer to and learn from the experience of the Tokyo Olympics. I have the same expectations as you, and despite the current seriousness of the epidemic, we still hope that Beijing can hold a wonderful event. As we all know, the IOC attaches great importance to the legacy of the Olympic Games and the sustainable development of the host city. In your opinion, what should we do to make this legacy have a more lasting impact on the host city or country after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics? In the post-Olympic era, how do you see the future development of winter sports in China and around the world?
In terms of estate planning, China is actually a model for the IOC, which was incorporated into the original vision of the Olympic Games from the beginning and began to prepare before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Winter Expo is a good example.
China has formulated a legacy plan after the games and will continue to strive to become a winter sports powerhouse, sending competitive teams and athletes to participate in all Winter Olympic sports, not just to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be conducive to long-term development.
China's 300 million winter sports participants will continue to understand and enjoy winter sports as part of their lives, benefiting the physical and mental health of the people during the long winter. Providing services for winter sports, which in turn is an important business opportunity, contributing to the development of the emerging winter sports industry in China. The development of the winter sports industry in Europe and North America has taken 50 years, while China has basically formed a complete ecosystem in five years. There is no doubt that not only China's winter sports industry, but also the global winter sports industry will benefit from it. The heritage plan to create a new winter ecosystem in China is exemplary and will benefit the winter sports industry in China and around the world.
Sarah, you are already familiar with the International Winter Sports Fair (WWSE). After 2022, as a legacy of the Beijing Olympic Games, WWSE will continue to attract more Chinese to participate in ice and snow sports, and promote the sustainable development of the global ice and snow industry. From an economic point of view, WWSE will bring more international companies and brands to the Chinese market, while helping foreign companies soft land and do business in China. In this regard, how do you see the future development of WWSE?
Facts show that the Winter Expo plays a leading role in promoting the development of China's ice and snow industry and connecting the global ice and snow industry, and is the world's most important and popular annual ice and snow exhibition. For example, China's world-leading winter sports brands and China's cooperation to enhance its international status are well received by the international community. Because China will expand the scale of winter sports globally, the number of participants is impossible to reach in other parts of the world.
At present, there are 150 million people in the world participating in ice and snow sports, and if 300 million people in China are on ice and snow, which is double that of other countries in the world, then the overall number of ice and snow sports participants is three times the original. Today's annual Winter Expo promotes multi-party cooperation, and the established commercial and political ties will continue to promote the development of China's ice and snow industry, becoming an important part of China's economy and an important part of the international winter sports industry.
I was impressed by the joint involvement of the Government. For example, Olympic venues such as The Construction of Beijing's direct access to Yanqing, alpine skiing center and bobsleigh center, as well as Chongli's high-speed railway, have been built, so these are convenient for people to carry out mountaineering and skiing day trips and excursions. For me personally, it is a great honor to be a member of the Advisory Board of the Winter Expo. I will use my resources in the global sports world as well as in China to continue to support and promote the development of China's ice and snow sports industry. Because I understand and agree that the development of China's sports industry is in our common interest, can bring everyone together, produce inextricable links, is very conducive to improving competitiveness, but also conducive to promoting the development of leisure and winter sports industry. And the current opportunity is just the tip of the iceberg.
Sarah, thank you for your compliments to WWSE. We sincerely hope that after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, it will continue to play its role as an international platform for ice and snow stakeholders and communities to gather globally."
Now all the attention, all the eyes are focused on the game, we support the Chinese team to play smoothly, I hope all the spectators have a good time watching the game.
Okay, thanks again Sarah. I wish you a safe and happy trip to China and a Happy Chinese New Year! That concludes our interview today. Thank you for your attention. Here is "Leigh Interview – 2022 Ice and Snow Dialogue". See you next season!
