Sports Beijing’s biannual Festival of Sport returns this Saturday, February 11. The event runs from from 10am to 3pm, and takes place at the International School of Beijing (ISB). We asked Carlos Javier from Sports Beijing to give us the lowdown.
So what is the Festival of Sport?
Held indoors in the ISB Fusion Dome, this event allows kids of different ages to try out a variety of sports and activities, while parents can talk to the coaches and register their children for one of the 15+ activities provided by the youth amateur sports organization.
How is this year’s event different to previous years?
In addition to the sports activities during the event, we are focusing on connecting our members with our partners and our ‘friends of Sports Beijing’. There are a lot of companies and organizations doing great work in the community and it’s important that we get their products/information out there and help them gain exposure. Our members can benefit by being better informed about what’s going on in the Beijing community, meeting people, and getting the chance to see how they can get involved to make a positive difference. Some of the partners we have invited are Roundabout, A Voice for Animals, Smart Air, Koryo Tours, Penny Food Studio, and Dave’s Studio (who will be bringing a photobooth). Roundabout will be collecting donations, so bring along your books, clothes, equipment… Links Moving will also bring a bouncy castle, so that’s exciting!
What sports will be featured?
We will have a small football tournament running throughout the event, as well as our development U12, U14 and U16 Basketball teams practising throughout the morning. In addition we will have a field hockey scrimmage/training (hopefully we will have a local Chinese team come and play our members) from 9-10.30am, Rugby training/tryout from 12-1pm and Handball from 13.30-14.30. Our Kung Fu guys (XMA KungFu) will also be present and do a short performance, as well as Karate. Our Fencing coaches will be there to answer questions and to demonstrate the sport to our members.
What else is there for kids to do?
Besides having a kick about, shooting some hoops, trying out our Handball obstacle course, etc, we will have facepainting offered by Eva from ArtJamming. Kids can build their own air purifier (SmartAir) and take it home (they’ll need to register in advance, and the air purifier workshop costs RMB 200). Kids can engage with the Voice for Animals people, who will be looking to do an ‘adoption role play’, and Links Moving will bring the bouncy castle. There will be lots of opportunities for pictures by Dave’s Studio, and we are planning to do a raffle, so kids can win some prizes too.
Finally, tell us a little about Sports Beijing.
Sports Beijing is a not-for-profit multi-sports organization dedicated to providing high quality sports and activities. We offer a wide range of recreational and competitive youth sports programs, professionally coached and aimed at developing physical, technical and social skills for young athletes. Our activities are designed for participants of all backgrounds and abilities.
Photos: courtesy of Sports Beijing
