Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week: UFC’s Shanghai Performance Institute The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Performance Institute Shanghai is scheduled to open in 2019. The 93,000 square-foot space will have coaching staff implement a sport-specific training system to develop and support MMA athletes from across mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. Read more on Forbes (English) and Tencent (Chinese)
Mailman Take: Biggest performance institute in the world demonstrates UFC’s commitment to this market. The UFC Fight Night Beijing event this weekend will include 8 Chinese fighters as they look to grow the roster of local talent to spearhead their development in China. Two events in 12 months in mainland China, as well as the growing popularity in both China and the West for Song Yadong and Li Jingliang, shows massive potential for this challenger sport.
FCB in Haikou Experience The Barça Experience is now officially open in Hainan, Southern China, representing a place to learn more about the club, its history and footballing philosophy. The Barça Experience is a joint venture between FC Barcelona and Mission Hills Group. Read more on FC Barcelona (English) and FC Barcelona (Chinese)
Chelsea Go Local with Pre-Match China Show The Premier League side has become the first international football club to air a pre-match show produced specifically for the club’s fans in China. The 15 episodes of their studio production ‘The Chelsea Report’ will air throughout the 2018/19 season. Read more on Sportspro (English) and Sohu (Chinese)
Mailman Take: An increasing amount of China original content has been a major trend of China digital marketing in 2018 and represents a key influencer in increasing fan loyalty. The best example of this is the push of fan-centric media houses, such as COPA90, Dugout or 433 into China. We expect to see more initiatives soon from Club TV channels, broadcasters and media houses. Chelsea has been the fastest growing football club on Weibo since the start of the 2018/19 season, coinciding with the club’s focus on producing original content for the Chinese market.
Sinobo Group Invests in Slavia Prague The Chinese company has become the new majority owner of the Czech first football league club Slavia Prague. The club's stadium will also be renamed ‘Sinobo Stadium’. The Chairman of the Sinobo board, Zhou Jinhui, is also the majority shareholder of the Chinese Super League giants Beijing Guoan FC. Read more on China Daily (English) and DQD (Chinese)
Chinese Basketball Association and Infront China Extend Allegiance The renewed partnership will run to 2024, with Infront China continuing to be the exclusive global commercial agency of Chinese national basketball teams, dealing exclusively with business development and promotion. Read more on Sina (Chinese)
In Other News:
CFA Wages War with New Regulations The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has implemented new rules and regulations for the 2019 season to promote a more competitive environment amongst its clubs. The governing body of football in China has been concerned with clubs overspending and has introduced a salary cap as part of a total expenditure limit that extends to transfers and bonuses. Read more on CGTN (English) and Xinhua (Chinese)
D&G Cancels Shanghai Fashion Show Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) cancelled its Shanghai fashion show amid accusations of racism over its latest ad campaign. The Italian fashion house also had to apologise for posts on its Instagram account written in response to #DGLovesChina. The brand claimed that both it and its co-founder Stefano Gabbana's accounts were hacked and used to criticise Chinese people. Read more on the BBC (English) and New York Times (Chinese)
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