Sports executive bullish on growth in China
Besides the above traditional sports, there are also some other sports that are rather new to Chinese people. For instance, football and esports.
Kylie Rogers, general manager - commercial of AFL (Australian Football League), said that although it is hard to buy football stuff in Beijing, there are already 15 communities in Asia and more women are taking part in the sport.
"The match mode can be 10 X 10 rather than 18 X 18 to make it easier for the public to get involved," she suggested during a talk on promoting football in China, and encouraged more children to take part in the game. She is quite optimistic about its future.
In modern era, digital and social media are also important for each industry. Alibaba has showed what it can do and the future trend for the world. Alibaba has helped IOC contact younger groups and proposed the concept of "365 days' Olympics" to make more people participate in daily life.
China's sport industry is not the same as western ones, according to Greg Gilligan, vice-president, Greater China managing director of PGA Tour. He suggested three steps to foreign investors: First, forget any experience gained in western countries because China’s digital media is on a whole new level; Second, sports is a indispensable part in people's daily life, and being humble, devoted, and patient is essential; Third, localization is necessary.
