China
China's sports industry has bright future, say experts
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-11 09:35
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Although the world is still emerging from the global financial crisis, many local businessmen are upbeat about the sports industry in China, according to the Annual Report on the Development of China's Sports Industry (2009-10), which was released on Saturday.
Considered China's first professional blue book on the sports industry, the report was launched at the 2010 International Sports Industry Forum at Peking University.
The report outlined a bright future and many of the participants at the forum agreed.
"After the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the sports industry in China entered a fast development period," Zhang Tao, vice-president of Anta Sports, told China Daily.
Anta, one of China's leading sportswear producers, signed a four-year contract with the Chinese Olympic Committee last June.
"Our company is very confident about the sports market in China. We believe the Olympic Games inspired people towards sports and subsequently raised the need for sports products," Zhang said.
"As living standards improve, Chinese people will require more for the sports products and that will further boost our confidence."
This year, several big international sports events, such as the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the Asian Games in China's Guangzhou city, are considered golden opportunities for Chinese sports marketing campaigns.
"There is still a large space for China's sports industry to develop and we will look into it more this year," said Yan Xu, vice-president and the marketing director of Tsingtao Brewery Group.
"For example, we will launch a series of marketing campaigns during the FIFA World Cup. One of the important strategies of our company in the future is sports marketing."
During the forum, participants also addressed the prospects opened up by increased globalization and the possibilities of promoting China's international image through developing its sporting industry and culture.
Leading topics at the forum included: "Can the sports industry become an innovation and growth point for the country's soft power?", "Sports marketing" and "The global landscape of martial arts".
