China reforms national sports industry to cash in on running totals

The Chinese government's plan to raise the annual revenue of the national sports industry to 5 trillion yuan ($786 billion) by 2025 is workable, according to a leading industry insider.

Ren Wen, chairwoman of Wisdom Sports Group, said the rising number of people who regularly participate in sports means the target - almost five times the current value - is achievable. "If we can motivate 500 million people to take exercise regularly, as envisioned in the plan, which I believe is possible, generating 5 trillion yuan won't be a problem," said Ren.

Her optimism stemmed from high levels of participation in distance events, such as the Season Run series launched by the company last year.