Visa has joined the China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF) and Beijing Sport University (BSU) to announce the launch of “Olympics and Women” program. Leveraging the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the program aims to empower women to grow their small businesses and contribute to local social-economic development and sustainable growth.
Accelerating the growth of Olympic related industries, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 is an opportunity for local small businesses in China, especially in and near the major event zones including Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province and Yanqing District of Beijing City. The program is designed to support and champion women business owners as they build, sustain and advance their businesses over the next four years.
With a focus on sports, tourism and cultural sectors, the program aims to enhance business management, strategic planning and efficiency through capacity building as well as practical training in marketing, business operations and financial services. The program will also provide a knowledge sharing and networking platform for women to connect and learn from each other. The goal is to cover more than 5,000 women-led small businesses by 2022.
“Confidence, bravery and independence should be the calling card of Chinese women in the new era, and this female power should be unlocked,” advocated Ms. Zhang Jianmin, Secretary General of CWDF.
“Major sports events like Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring significant industry development and transformation opportunities for the host city and even the host country. Visa has a long-term commitment to the China market and as a proud sponsor of the Olympic Games, we are well positioned to facilitate China’s social and economic prosperity,” said Mr. Chris Clark, President of Visa Asia Pacific, as he commented on the importance of the Program. “By working with both the public and private sectors, we are taking the opportunity of major sports events to drive the sustainable social and economic development of China.”
According to Deputy Party Secretary Mr. Xing Shangjie of BSU, at present small businesses are still faced with variety of risks and challenges. BSU will facilitate dialogue, exchanges and cooperation among universities, and provide academic and technical support to the program. BSU is pleased to collaborate with CWDF and Visa, support the development and growth of women, small businesses, as well as the sports, ice and snow industry.
Representing businesses, Ms. Xiao Han, former winner of the Short-track Speed Skating World Championship, stressed the significance of this program. She shared her experience during the transformation from a professional athlete to an entrepreneur. She underscored the demand and value in helping businesses develop practical business skills, such as product development and marketing management, and improve the public’s awareness of and engagement in winter sports.
BSU has taken the lead in conducting a series of expert workshops, field research and in-depth interviews to understand the obstacles to sustainable development of these businesses and their challenges. With the founding and additional local input, BSU is developing training courses and a community platform where participating small business owners can access useful resources for starting and growing their businesses and share experience with each other.
With a particular focus on empowering women for sustainable development and economic benefit, CWDF will work with Visa and BSU to manage the program and promote it as a standard and scalable brand of public benefit and social impact.
As a long-standing worldwide sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa has continuously delivered innovative payment solutions to each Games and works to ensure a legacy of digital payment advancement in the host country. Combining the strengths and efforts of the three parties, the Program will exert a long-term social impact in the host city and the host country.
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