China's motor-city Changchun, Jilin Province, came into the spotlight for a reason other than cars this year as host of the Sixth Asian Winter Games.

The Winter Games, in terms of scale, resource input, facilities, infrastructure and influence, is the largest international sports event ever held in China, and serves as a warm-up for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Some Olympic Games' equipment was even used in the Winter Games, including an advanced information processing system. "It's a culmination of three years of effort by 1,000 technicians, and it is a guarantee for a successful 2008 Olympic Games," said Zhao Li, Director of the Information Center of the State Sports Administration.

"Changchun can offer some references for Beijing," added Ye Qiaobo, a two-time silver medal winner at the Winter Games, who was born in the city.

Over the past four years there has been huge investment in Changchun's infrastructure-including airports, railway stations, roads and telecommunications-to meet international standards in preparation for the Winter Games.

The city's authorities saved money where they could, using existing office buildings and housing the Games' media department in Changchun's fitness center. Transport for the competition was provided by local automaker FAW Group. And existing stadiums were rebuilt or expanded at a cost of 1.16 billion yuan.

"In the future these stadiums will be open to the public and able to support themselves by their direct yield," said Zhang Zhengming, Deputy Director of the Marketing Development Department of the Organizing Committee for the Sixth Asian Winter Games.

This Winter Games also reduced costs by attracting a number of large corporate sponsors including China Unicom, Bank of China and the Korean digital giant Samsung. These companies viewed the event as a marketing opportunity.

Estimates put the commercial value of advertising at the Winter Games at around 5.1 billion yuan. "That means the Games has brought much brand expansion and commercial influence for the event's partners and sponsors," said Zhong Bingshu, a professor with Beijing Sports University, who helped to carry out research on the competition's commercial value.

Commenting on the success of the Winter Games, Samih Moudallal, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), said, "The Changchun Asian Winter Games Organizing Committee (CAWGOC) and the host city Changchun really did a good job, and we can conclude that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a great success and will produce the best Summer Olympiad ever, showcasing to the whole world what the Chinese are capable of doing."

He also believes the success of the Sixth Asian Winter Games is of great importance to the 45 regions that make up the OCA.

"Changchun did a good job in promoting the Asian Games all around Asia and surely Beijing will attract a bigger audience and promote the development of the Olympic Games," said Moudallal.

A clean game

The organizers of the Winter Games were tough on drug testing to ensure a clean event.

"Stimulant tests were quite strictly carried out following the world anti-stimulant drug conventions and treaties," said Zhao Xiaolu, one of the chief stimulant inspectors from CAWGOC.