Wang Jianlin eyes $10bn annual income from sports unit

Wang Jianlin has announced ambitious plans for his newly established sports unit, Wanda Sports.

On November 25, Wanda Sports was officially set up with two companies, infront Sports & Media and the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), being integrated into one sports unit and Philippe Blatter installed as the new president and CEO of Wanda Sports.

Wang said, “We plan to keep merging and adding new content to our sports branch. Wanda Sports aims to become the world's most profitable sports company and the first sports company with an annual income of more than $10 billion.”

The latest report that he is believed to be interested in acquiring the rights to cycling’s Grand Tours, seems a testimony to his decision to expand his sports portfolio and gradually achieve his great ambition for Wanda Sports. 

The Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, has claimed Jianlin has targeted adding “the Tour de France to his rich empire.” The acquisition of the Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia are now also possibilities as a result. 

That means that, after Wang’s great investments in the football world, he would like to exert his influence even further and swoop into the world of cycling. 

Source: inside the games

Proofread by John Devlin