IESF PRESIDENT TO SPEAK AT PRESS CONFERENCE FOR CHINA SPORTS CULTURE EXPO & CHINA SPORTS TOURISM EXPO 2019 IN GUANGZHOU

IESF President, Colin Webster (of South Africa), is a strong proponent of esports being accredited as a sporting code.

On November 15, the press conference for the China Sports Culture Expo & China Sports Tourism Expo 2019 (hereinafter "CSCTE") was held at Guangzhou News Center. Guests including Huang Jin, Deputy Director of the Sports Culture Development Center of General Administration of Sport of China, Zhang Jianhua, Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, Tan Aiying, Deputy Director of the Administration of Sport of Guangzhou Municipality, and Zhu Dongfang, Vice President of IDG Asia, as well as media members attended the event.

The CSCTE will be taking place at PWTC Expo in Guangzhou from November 28 to 30, 2019. The China Sports Culture Expo will be organized by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Olympic Committee. The China Sports Tourism Expo will be organized by the All-China Sports Federation, the Chinese Olympic Committee, and the China Tourism Association. The CSCTE will be produced by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, the Sports Culture Development Center of General Administration of Sport of China, International Data Group (IDG), and IDG Sports.

At the press conference, Zhang Jianhua, Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, said that sports industry development is highly valued in current times all over the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that sports play an irreplaceable role in improving the people's physical quality and health, fueling all-round development of human beings, enriching the people's spiritual and cultural life, boosting economic and social development, and inspiring people of all ethnic groups of the country to promote the spirit of pursuing excellence and breaking through oneself. At present, all sectors of society in Guangzhou are further studying and implementing the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping, and working to ensure the study, publicity and implementation of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The new development concept is being put fully into effect, with an aim to revitalize the ancient city of Guangzhou and enable innovation and excellence in four aspects. The production of national sports culture and sports tourism expos can take a greatly positive effect on Guangzhou's drive for the construction of a national central city to a new level across the board and focus on building an international metropolis. Since 2018, the CSCTE has been successfully held in Guangzhou for five years straight, becoming a new highlight of Guangzhou in sports culture and industrial development. This year's CSCTE is upgraded in all the aspects such as the internationalization of industrial services, authority of industry resources, focus on industrial innovations, integrated progress of industrial development, and diversity of business connection. Efforts will be made to enhance the expo scale, brand value and international influence, and propel industrial integration, bringing the level of exhibition and conference management to a new height.

The CSCTE this year aims to showcase the development achievements made since the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago, promotes sports reform to enhance economic and social value, and drives industrial innovation and upgrading together with high-quality development, highlighting the concept of centering on the people and integrating into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Huang Jin, Deputy Director of the Sports Culture Development Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, pointed out that, under the guidance of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, combining with the Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation, the CSCTE for 2019 will strengthen reform and innovation, and deliver more abundant content, more diverse forms and more diversified activities. At the expos, not only can visitors appreciate the charm of sports culture and sports tourism, but also they can feel the spirit, value and strength of sports, gain a better understanding of the latest news and trends of sports industry and its development, and capture the investment opportunities for sports industry development.

The highlights of the CSCTE this year, which are at the crossroads of reform and innovation, are: strengthening cultural leadership, grasping the context of the times, and publicizing and demonstrating the achievements of sports development made since the founding of New China 70 years ago; pooling together high-end resources, paying attention to policy guidance, and creating a series of high-level authoritative forums; enriching sports culture and sports tourism related products, and focusing on the value of sports in facilitating economic and social development.

According to Deputy Director Huang Jin, the year of 2019 arrives just in time for the celebration of the 70th birthday of New China. With the theme of "Seven Decades of Prosperity, New Start for Sports", the CSCTE this year aims to show the brilliant achievements of Chinese sports and tell the touching stories of Chinese sports over the past 70 years. This year, the CSCTE, the only expos in its kind approved by the State Council and organized by the General Administration of Sport of China, will be oriented at mirroring national-level achievements, national policy guidance, national-level planning and layout, and national exhibition management level. Heads of the Policy and Regulation Department, Sport for All Department, Youth Sports Department, Finance Department, and Press and Publicity Department, as well as the units directly under the General Administration of Sport of China, and provincial and municipal sports bureaus will gather at the expos. Focusing on the hot issues in the construction of a sports power and economic and social development, the implementation of national strategies such as national fitness and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the promotion of sports among focus groups including teenagers, the popularization and development of popular sports such as ice and snow, and mountain climbing, and integrative and innovative development of sports, culture, tourism, education and other fields, the attendees will analyze the policies, and dive into the development trend of the industry as well as how to take actions to implement the requirements of the Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation. The CSCTE this year specially incorporates the concept of International Greater Bay Area, in a bid to serve the national strategy of coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area by focusing on sports culture and tourism in the Greater Bay Area, and valuing industrial agglomeration and integration. This move aims to lead the integration and innovation of regional sports culture and sports industry, and drive and serve the prosperity and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Alongside with such supporting activities as the promotion of quality sports tourism projects, this year's exhibition will feature the sports culture creative design and excellent product display as well as the China Sports Culture Tourism Venture Capital Forum and Project Docking Event for the first time, so as to further the integration of sports, culture and tourism industries.

Zhu Dongfang, Vice President of IDG Asia, briefed the investment promotion and exhibitor registration of the CSCTE. Covering an area of more than 46,000 square meters, the CSCTE attracts over 400 exhibitors, including the National Olympic Sports Center, Beijing Sport University, the Sports Lottery Administration Center of General Administration of Sport of China, and the Beijing Olympic Park Administration Committee. The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will also make its debut. A great number of leading sports brands from France, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, the United States, the Netherlands, South Korea, Slovenia, and other countries have confirmed their participation.

Concurrent with the China Sports Culture Expo and the China Sports Tourism Expo are the China International Sports Culture and Sports Tourism Forum–Main Conference, Sports Directors Forum, and more than 10 parallel forums. Other than the invitation to 100-plus representative figures from sports culture, sports tourism and other sectors including Poul-Erik Høyer, President of the Badminton World Federation, Colin Webster, President of International Esports Federation, Ingmar De Vos, President of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the IOC, and Thomas Lund, Secretary General of the Badminton World Federation, the CSCTE this year also brings together high-quality resources in the industry such as Ligue 1, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, the CSL, Le Tour de France and other sports event management organizations, aiming to develop a service chain for sports culture and sports industry development.

The CSCTE also features a number of high-quality project activities such as sporting events specific recommendations and the promotion of sports technology innovation, along with special buyer connection on site as well as online business matching activities, providing all-round services for exhibitors and participating teams to assist enterprises in channel expansion and resource connection. Besides, on-site business activities, such as business negotiations, online business investment and financing matching, business dockings, corporate shows, and excellent project promotion, will also be set up to promote the connection of excellent sports culture projects with capital and their implementation. On the one hand, all these activities are created to set the stage for exhibitors to conduct high-reward brand displays; on the other hand, they enable exhibitors to quickly target matching business partners according to individual business needs, to accurately connect business needs, and to quickly establish on-site business communication in a convenient manner.

At the same time, for the broad range of sports enthusiasts, the CSCTE will feature a variety of diverse and wonderful supporting activities, including traditional Chinese sports culture performances, basketball, football, RV, curling, mind sports games, and promotional events. In addition to public participation, they are also created to increase the entertainment and experience of the expos, promote the spread of sports culture, and make moves with sports for all, allowing the sports culture to be further promoted among the people.