IPR exerts roles in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics preparations

On August 8, 2021, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games came to a successful conclusion after athletes going all out for 17 days. At the same moment, the countdown to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games has less than 180 days, and preparations for the Winter Olympics have entered into the final stretch. As a part of the preparations, IPR-related operations are also under way to ensure the fulfillment of Olympic sports.

Winter Olympics related IPRs well protected

On July 8, 2021, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) unveiled an announcement on protection of Olympic symbols with a 22-page annex. Under the relevant provisions of the Regulations on the Protection of Olympic Symbols, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has exclusive rights to its submitted symbols including the logo of Olympic rings, which will be valid for 10 years. The annex showcases the logo of Olympic rings, Olympic flag, Olympic motto, "Olympic, Olympiad, Olympics, Olympic Games" and other related Chinese and English terms and Olympic anthem are effectively protected. This means that no individual or market entity can use these symbols and terms for commercial use without the permission of the right holder.

On July 31, 2018, when the newly revised Regulations on the Protection of Olympic Symbols came into effect, the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games submitted the first batch of Olympic and Paralympic symbols to CNIPA, including 14 Olympic logos and four Paralympic logos. On February 13, 2019, CNIPA announced that the above logos were approved. Since then, the Winter Olympic Games' logo, mascot, volunteer logo, and torch shape have also been granted successively.

As of date, China has developed the all-round protection of the patents, trademarks and copyrights of 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' emblems and other Olympic symbols, which have been applauded by the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee.

Advanced technology upgrades training

This July, an exhibition on S&T achievements at ice and snow games was held by the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) in Beijing Shougang Park, showcasing advanced findings and new training equipment to the public.

Walking into the exhibition hall of the Winter Training Center of Shougang Park , the first thing that caught visitors' eyes was the six degree-of-freedom (DOF) skeleton simulation training system researched by Beijing Dianyinjinda Technology Company (DHISIM). The system integrates sixDOF motion system and virtual reality, allowing athletes to perform repetitive training in an environment that simulates the real sports field, which solves the off-season training problem.

"Behind the innovative achievements exists the support of patents," said Hu Guangyou, manager of DHISIM's R&D department. The company has worked closely with Wuhan Sports University and other universities to develop the six DOF electric simulation sports training system. As of date, the training system has been granted for patents including electric six DOF simulation sports training platform (windsurfing), which can simulate seven Winter Olympics events including luge and cross-country skiing.

In the hall, two continuously rotating red cameras were tracking and shooting following the tester's body shake, which attracted audience's attentions. This is the intelligent close-up shooting system developed by the instrument research institute under the School of Optics and Photonics, Beijing Institute of Technology. The system employs precise servo motion technology to control the PTZ cameras to achieve close-up tracking and shooting of moving targets, obtain real-time videos of the motion process and upload videos to the cloud server for data sharing. With the help of unattended automatic shooting technology, the system can automatically upload and share data, which is suitable for single sports events such as ski jumping.

"Patents are our bases to provide solid services and support," said Liu Ming, associate professor at the School of Optics and Photonics, Beijing Institute of Technology. Their research team focusing on scientific training, has developed systems including intelligent close-up shooting and spot projection for leading skating. As of date, their team's related technologies have been adopted for the training of national freeski big air and slopestyle team.

Currently, China is gearing up for the Winter Games. In the intelligence age, we will vigorously promote independent research and development, and employ advanced S&T to assist the national team in training, and comprehensively improve the competitiveness of athletes, according to an executive of GASC's Winter Sports Management Center.