Here are the top China sports business news stories you need to know from this week:
FIBA Signs Global Partnership with Ganten
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has announced a global partnership with Ganten, Asia’s leading mineral water supplier. The partnership will help Shenzhen-based Ganten build its brand as it expands into new markets worldwide and strengthens links between FIBA and China’s business sector ahead of next year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup in China (August 31-September 15). Read more on FIBA’s Official Website (English) and Tencent (Chinese)
FINA Partners with SPD Bank
China’s Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Credit Card Center (SPD Bank CCC) has officially become the worldwide exclusive banking and credit card services partner of the International Swimming Federation (FINA). Read more on Sports Money (Chinese) and FINA Official Website (English)
Mailman Take: The 14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) is scheduled to be held over the 11th to 16th December 2018 in Hangzhou, China. Over 900 athletes are expected to attend, representing around 150 nations. In addition, more than 1,000 FINA officials, coaches and business partners will be present at the competition. The championships will take place at the 10,000-seater Tennis Centre inside the Hangzhou Olympic and International Expo Center.
FIBA World Basketball Summit Line-up Announced
The inaugural FIBA World Basketball Summit will feature speakers from basketball, sports business, and media. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, along with the global head of Basketball at Nike, and vice-president at Tencent, are among the keynote speakers for the Summit taking place in Xi’an, China, on 3rd – 4th October. Read more on Sport Business (English)
Aston Martin Teams Up with Alex Hua Tian
British luxury automobile brand Aston Martin has announced Chinese equestrian rider, Alex Hua Tian, will become Aston Martin’s China “friend”. Hua Tian will help to market and promote Aston Martin across China. Meanwhile, Aston Martin will cooperate in Hua Tian’s equestrian charity project, which focuses predominantly on education. Read more on GQ (Chinese)
China’s Golden Asian Games
Team China won its first-ever gold medals in the first of six exhibition esports events taking place at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia. The 2018 Asian Games are taking place in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2. Read more on the Global Times (English)
Mailman Take: Team China’s strong performance at the Games led to 2 gold medals and 1 silver. In recent years, China’s esports industry has grown exponentially, with the 2018 projected industry value exceeding RMB 88 billion. Moreover, in 2019, Shanghai will hold The International DOTA2 Championships, bringing one of the most prominent esports events to China for the first time. Things are looking very positive, but the ultimate question remains – will one day esports be live-streamed on CCTV?
Universal Join Hands with 361°
Having successfully cooperated in the past, the children’s clothing branch of Chinese sportswear brand 361° has reached a long-term strategic partnership with American Film Production Company, Universal Pictures Shanghai. This will allow 361° to further enrich the diversity of its children’s commodities and expand their brand influence. Read more on Sina (Chinese)
Jaybird Welcomes Li Yifeng as Brand Ambassador
Logitech’s American running headset brand, Jaybird, has officially announced the signing of Chinese celebrity Li Yifeng as its brand new ambassador in the Asia-Pacific region. Read more on EcoSports (Chinese)
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