China aims to boost sports consumption

As China strives to build itself into a sporting powerhouse by 2035, the country's sports governing body, supported by relevant ministries, vows to promote greater public participation and consumption in sporting events of all kinds to contribute to the goal.

A strong competitor at the elite level — as highlighted by the nation's medal-laden Olympic campaigns in recent years — China has set its sights on further boosting public involvement in fitness activities and amateur competitions, as well as encouraging consumption at sports-related businesses, according to officials at a State Council Information Office briefing on Tuesday.

The country aims to cultivate a group of sports enterprises with global influence and propel the total scale of a full-fledged sports industry to 7 trillion yuan ($983 billion) by 2030, according to a new set of development guidelines issued last week by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

The guidelines, including 20 measures across six fields, stress that diversifying and expanding the number of sporting events at both the amateur and elite level is key to fueling consumption and generating greater market value in the sector.

"People's demand for living a healthy lifestyle and getting more involved in sports events — either by competing directly at the amateur level or by enjoying themselves while watching high-level events and visiting venues — has been booming," Li Jing, a vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, said at the briefing. "It's up to us now to diversify and increase the offerings from the supply side to meet the demand, so that the development of the sports industry picks up more momentum."

The country has scheduled over 600 international sporting events and about 190 national championship matches at all levels this year, according to Li.

Tourism, accommodation, sales of merchandise tied to sports teams and clubs, and youth training are among areas where consumption potential could be further tapped with the hosting of more sports events, said Yang Xuedong, director of the GASC's sports economy department.

Specific proposals in the guidelines also include the development of up to 100 outdoor sports bases by 2030 to introduce activities such as hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing to national parks, tourism destinations and rural scenic spots to draw more visitors and generate greater revenues.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's economic planning body, and the Ministry of Commerce will team up with local governments and sports authorities to help facilitate the outdoor sports project by offering support via public funding, a preferential tax policy and infrastructure upgrades.

"The outdoor sector has emerged as the fastest-growing contributor to the overall sports industry in recent years, with its market value estimated to reach 3 trillion yuan by the end of this year. We expected it to only grow quicker during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period," said Chen Jun, head of the social development department of the NDRC.

Other measures to stimulate sports consumption also include boosting the snow-and-ice economy around operations of mountain resorts, offering more sports-plus-tourism packages during sporting events and upgrading the manufacturing sector of sporting goods.

As an example of the increasing influence of sports entertainment, the expansion of the women's professional tennis circuit has opened up more business opportunities during what was known as the annual "China Swing" on the pro tennis calendar.

With the addition of five new entry-level tournaments on the WTA 125 Circuit in China — the first of which began last week in Changsha, Hunan province — the nation is hosting 11 Women's Tennis Association Tour events in the next two months.

The tournaments in China are expected to attract a total of 1 million spectators, generating a collective revenue of over 2 billion yuan, according to Bai Xilin, director of the tennis administration center under the GASC.