The news conference of the Smart Sports Summit Forum takes place in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on Sept 1. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuxi is fast becoming one of the leading centers for China's emerging smart sports industry, according to officials at a media conference to promote the upcoming Smart Sports Summit Forum on Sept 1.

The forum will be held in Wuxi during the 2017 World Internet of Things Exposition on Sept 10.

The city in Jiangsu province is already a major hub for internet of things companies, so it is well-placed to take the lead in smart sports.

Wuxi's attractiveness to smart sports companies is likely to be further boosted by the launch of the Intellectual Sports Park of Wuxi, an industrial park targeting the smart sports industry. Plans to build the park were confirmed during the 2016 WIOT.

The official plaque for the new park was unveiled during the new conference by senior officials including Wang Zhiguang, vice president of Jiangsu Province Sports Bureau, and Liu Xia, deputy mayor of Wuxi.

Once opened, the park will be one of the first facilities of its kind in China, providing a shared work space for smart sports start-ups.

More than 10 sports technology and services companies have already confirmed that they will move into the park. It is also expected to attract sports science research institutions.

Wuxi also plans to use the Smart Sports Summit Forum to promote itself as a pioneer in the smart sports industry.

The forum will be attended by leading experts, entrepreneurs and sports stars from across China, including former Chinese women's volleyball captain Sun Jinfang.

Six well-known figures will make speeches during the event, including Zhang Dazhong, CEO of Alisports, and Chinese Academy of Science researchers Huang Wei and Ma Zhiming.

Wuxi also plans to launch a series of smart sports exhibitions and international e-sports competitions.

About 20 enterprises will exhibit cutting-edge smart sports products, such as smart soccer and online health management platforms.