Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from China. 📰 Headlines: WTA expects 2023 China return, Migu lands UEFA club competition rights, COC elects Gao Zhidan as President, CMG to produce four sports for Paris 2024, Man City partners with Complete Sports Solutions, land surfing takes China by storm, and the latest Esports Blast for August.
🗞️ Top Industry News WTA Expect Shenzhen Return in 2023 The WTA said the event is "expected to return" to China in 2023 and continue to cooperate with Gemdale, a long-term partner. The organisation has a 10-year deal with Shenzhen to host its season-ending Finals until 2028. Read more on SportBusiness (English) and Ecosports (Chinese) 💡 Mailman Take: Tennis fans in China will be pleased by the WTA’s commitment to return to China next year. But as with all international sports events looking to return to China, one of their most profitable international markets, everything will be determined by China’s covid policy, openness, and ability to host events in a non-bubble format. October’s National Congress meeting may go some way to determine that. Migu Lands UEFA Club Competitions for 2022/23 Season China Mobile’s streaming platform has acquired non-exclusive streaming rights in China for UEFA’s club competitions. Migu’s coverage, which began with this week’s matches, will include 4K- and 8K-quality streaming over its 5G mobile networks. As well as on Migu, football fans in China were also able to watch UEFA club football competitions on Tencent, iQiyi, and Youku. Read more on SportBusiness (English) and Sports Money (Chinese)
Gao Zhidan Elected New Chinese Olympic Committee President Gao Zhidan was elected following a special plenary session held in a hybrid format. Zhidan, 59, who is also director of China’s General Administration of Sport, succeeds Gou Zhongwen in the role. After being elected by secret ballot, Zhidan said that over the past six years the COC had "successfully completed the preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.” Read more on Inside The Games (English) and Sina (Chinese) CMG to Produce International Feed for Four Sports at Paris 2024 China Media Group (CMG), the Chinese state media company, has reached an agreement with Olympic Broadcasting Services, the host broadcast arm of the International Olympic Committee, to produce international broadcast feeds for four sports at the Paris 2024 Games. CMG will produce feeds for gymnastics, table tennis, badminton and sport climbing during Paris 2024. Read more on CGTN (English) and China Daily (Chinese) Manchester City Partners with Complete Sports Solutions The partnership will offer schools, clubs and academies in Australia and China a unique opportunity to access the City Football Academy, the club’s bespoke state-of-the-art training facility, which sits adjacent to the Etihad Stadium. Those attending will undertake an exclusive training experience at the CFA, learning the philosophy and methodology of the club directly from Manchester City coaches. Read more on Man City (English)
🤔 Opinion Riding The Wave Into China’s Latest Hype — Land Surfing Move over glamping and frisbee, a new pastime has emerged as Gen Z’s favourite hobby — land surfing. In parks and squares across China, young locals can be spotted balancing atop long skateboards, moving their bodies as if surfing the waves. Over the past two years alone, 6 million citizens have adopted the waterless recreation. Read more on Jing Daily (English) China Poised to Become Lululemon’s Second Largest Market Despite challenges brought about by the pandemic, Lululemon has proven to be especially profitable in the Chinese market. On September 1, the brand announced revenue of $1.868Bn for Q2, a year-on-year increase of 29%. Read more on DAO (English)
🤔 Esports Mailman Esports Blast: August In China last month, multiple esports franchise leagues concluded their Summer Split Finals. Wolves Esports’ Honor of Kings team won the grand prize at the King Pro League Summer Split Finals, taking home £842K prize money and will now be invited to the £8.67M Honor of Kings World Champion Cup. Read more on Esports Insider (English)
Wild Rift: Riot Games Announces China’s Tournament Ionia Cup 2022 This tournament will be an off-season tournament where the tier-1 and tier-2 professional teams from China will go up against each other. Tencent previously announced the Ionia Cup during their Esports Summit. The tournament is said to be equivalent to League of Legends LPL Demacia Cup, the off-season tournament of the PC counterpart. Read more on Gamingonphone (English)
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