China's sports service in rapid growth

Two village teams play in a Village Super League match in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province. [Photo by Luo Jinglai / For China Daily]

One year after the epidemic, people's increased awareness and pursuit of health are turning into purchasing behavior, with an increasing willingness to pay for "well-being" and a better life. As sports steadily become necessary in everyday life, China's sports industry is gaining unprecedented momentum for development.

Sports events fully rebound

On the first day of registration for the 2024 Chongqing Marathon, over 100,000 people signed up. The Xiamen Marathon, which will take place on January 7, 2024, received a record-breaking 136,105 participants.

The fervent registration scenes are a microcosm of the comprehensive recovery of marathons in 2023. In November, nearly a hundred marathons took place. Even in December, dozens of marathons were scheduled every weekend.

Various important sports events have trended on social media throughout the year. Tickets for Asian Games and Sudirman Cup tickets were in high demand. The newly built professional stadiums for the Chinese Super League attracted around 50,000 people. Some CBA venues were also packed. The comeback of various sporting events in 2023 has sparked a sports frenzy.

Not limited to urban sports arenas, sports fever has spread to villages.

At the end of November, a delegation from the English Premier League visited Rongjiang county in southeast Guizhou’s Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, home to the viral "Village Super League."

The first collaboration project with the English Premier League Village Super League was officially launched a few days ago. Now, various types of friendly matches take place here almost every week, constantly attracting visitors. With over 4.8 billion views online, the "Village Super League" has become an influential sports brand in the era of new media.

Traveling with sports events

Anta Sports achieved a revenue of nearly 30 billion yuan in the first half of 2023, with substantial growth in both revenue and net profit, maintaining its leading position in the Chinese sportswear market. Xtep also achieved double-digit growth in revenue and net profit in the first half of the year. Jinling Sports reported a net profit of 37.53 million yuan in the first three quarters, a year-on-year increase of 64.94%.

Compared to the flourishing sports manufacturing industry, event economy sees dramatic growth in 2023.

The Wuxi Marathon held in March has generated economic benefits of nearly 195 million yuan in catering, accommodation, transport, and tourism. The Sudirman Cup earned 34 million yuan in ticket sales, yielding 379 million yuan in accommodation, transport, catering, retail, and tourism.

Chen Shaojun, director of the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau, said that sports activities have notably promoted tourism development, consumption, and peripheral sectors. "Hosting marathons provides a strong driving force for the overall cultural, tourism, and trade consumption in Jiangxi, becoming an enormous driving force for our economic and social development," said Li Xiaoping, Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau.

Self-fulfilling consumption

During this year's Double 11 shopping festival, men's spending power surged. Tmall data revealed that the top three items purchased by men were road bikes, e-sports products, and windbreakers. JD's sales of windbreaker pants also doubled year-on-year.

The "China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2022-2023)" released at the 2023 China Outdoor Sports Industry Conference showed that in the first half of 2023, orders related to outdoor sports increased by 79% compared to the same period in 2022 and 221% in 2019.

Sports such as cycling, rock climbing, skiing, frisbee, and skateboarding have become a lifestyle for many young people today.

Industry experts consider that sports consumption is fundamentally self-fulfilling consumption. The booming sports industry will keep bringing happiness to the developing society, meeting people’s growing demands for a better life.