BEIJING - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry has praised China's sporting culture, infrastructure, and continued contribution to the Olympic Movement during her first visit to the country since assuming office in June.

Coventry led an IOC delegation to China from Nov 8 to 13 and shared her impressions of the National Games with Xinhua on Wednesday.

"There are so many things that stood out," she said. "From the opening ceremony, it was just incredible. It was a magnificent showcase of culture, sport and technology."

She noted the unprecedented scale of the event, co-hosted for the first time by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, with around 25,000 athletes participating. "It really just shows the appetite that the country has for sports," Coventry said.

The Zimbabwean also praised the upcoming inclusion of Wushu at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after watching competitions in Guangzhou. "It's very fast. It was beautiful to watch the athletes make some of the movements look so easy," she said. "I'm very excited for it to be showcased in Dakar."

The seven-time Olympic medalist, whose own career was highlighted by her performance at Beijing 2008, emphasized China's continued importance to the Olympic Movement.

"China has always been an incredibly strong partner," Coventry noted. "There are so many extraordinary things that the Olympic Movement is learning consistently from China."

During her visit, Coventry also met with three Chinese Olympic TOP partners - Alibaba, TCL and Mengniu - and commended their shared values with the Olympic Movement.

"I'm so grateful to have spent time with our TOP partners," she said. "They all spoke about values that align so much with what the Olympic Movement stands for."

As the highest level of Olympic sponsorship, The Olympic Partner (TOP) program grants exclusive, global marketing rights to the Olympic and Paralympic Games to a select group of worldwide Olympic partners.

Coventry, the IOC's first female and African president, reaffirmed her intention to strengthen cooperation with China. "We will definitely look forward to continuing and even deepening that collaboration so that best practices can be shared with the rest of the world," she said.