Sports companies to showcase innovations at China's service trade fair

Sports companies will display industry innovations, including new technologies and global partnerships, at China's service trade fair in September, organizers said on Aug. 27.

Organizers and executives attend a press briefing about the Thematic Exhibition on Sports Services at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, Aug. 27, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the CIFTIS Organizing Committee]

The Thematic Exhibition on Sports Services at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will run Sept. 10-14 at Beijing's Shougang Park, covering 7,650 square meters.

The exhibition will focus on international partnerships, professional development and market expansion, said Zhou Ling, deputy director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.

It will highlight four key areas: industry resources, sports technology, integration and innovation within the industry, and global service coordination. New technologies, business models and successes in the sports sector will be on display.

Around 60 companies will take part in person, with more than 350 joining online from over 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Over 40 international institutions are participating. Twenty-four Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders will showcase premium sports events and digital technology applications, underlining the convergence of the sports, culture, tourism and health sectors.

The exhibition area will include interactive facilities showcasing the future potential of the sports service industry, Zhou said. 

The official outlined five key priorities of this year's sports services section: First, highlighting technology-driven services that showcase companies with strong tech leadership and intellectual property rights. Second, promoting technical standards to shift the industry from selling products to providing higher-value services.

Third, encouraging sports and cultural exchanges through sporting events. Fourth, integrating production, education, research and application to leverage Beijing's sci-tech strengths and apply technological innovations in the sports industry. Fifth, attracting major international events to Beijing to help the city become a global sports destination.

A main forum will bring together experts discussing sports economy development, where the General Administration of Sport of China will also release its 2024 trade report. Other sessions will cover outdoor sports, winter sports, innovation and entrepreneurship development, while a closed-door seminar will host British experts on event safety standards.

The exhibition will also offer more than 50 sports events and activities, including esports racing, FIBA basketball games, motion capture systems and low-altitude flight simulators.

At the press conference, several executives from multiple enterprises introduced their exhibits for CIFTIS. Guan Yanbin, head of sports public affairs at Tencent Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., revealed the company will showcase its latest addition to the "NBA 2K" simulation video game series.

Zou Yuzhu, deputy general manager of APBA (Shenzhen) Sports Co., Ltd., said the company's Beijing unit will install pickleball courts and interactive areas at the exhibition to promote the sport internationally.