Sports classes gaining popular approval

Taking students who play tennis as an example, Liu said that behind them are mostly parents who have returned from abroad or are middle and high-income earners.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are also expected to increase interest in lessons in winter sports, including skiing, skating and ice hockey, for young children.

Qin Ting, a 40-year-old mom from Beijing, said that when she took her 14-year-old son to skating lessons during previous holidays, only a few other youngsters were present. "But during this winter break, students had to line up to get onto the ice to practice."

Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said in a news conference that nearly 2.1 million elementary and middle school students in the capital had taken skating or skiing lessons as of February, a significant increase.

The expected boom in ice and winter sports related to the Games is occurring not just in northern China but also in southern cities, which is a dramatic change given the difference in climate.

"The Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have ignited a passion for winter sports among the public and also attracted more investors to put money into companies and products related to snow and ice sports," said Zhang Qing, founder of Key-Solution Sports Consulting, a marketing company based in Beijing.

"More importantly, the passion for winter sports is expected to last for a long time after the Games. More young people will be involved in winter activities, which will give a long-term boost to the industry," Zhang said.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that the investment in winter sports has shifted from an emphasis on size to high-quality development, and new options in ice and snow sports are seen in every province.

According to a survey by the General Administration of Sport of China and the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Chinese who have participated in winter sports training, amateur or professional competitions, and winter sports-related leisure activities had reached 346 million by the end of last year. That means almost one in four Chinese enjoyed winter sports or related activities at least once.

China is also making winter sports more accessible, which means more options for young people in terms of continuing their training. The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games said China now has 654 standard ice rinks, an increase of 317 percent compared with 2015, and 803 ski resorts, an increase of 41 percent.

Yet, as sports instruction of many types continues to boom, Liu from East Star pointed out that competition is getting fierce, from kindergarten to 12th-grade sector, with a huge number of entrepreneurs entering the field and academic tutoring firms switching their business to sports.

"More efforts are needed from sports companies to boost their cash flow to ensure that there is always money on hand to turn around and boost the professional qualifications of coaches," he said.

"Also, with COVID-19, companies in the sports industry are expected to work to offer more online to reduce potential negative impacts, and at the same time to arrange resources and schedules to avoid a waste of resources," he added.

He added that sports tutoring companies should avoid excessive marketing and capital, and pay attention to education itself, so as to really help promote the health of the young generation.