Yutang Weekly: What happened in the Chinese sports market (7/7-7/14)

Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour SHINHAN Korea Open ends in Busan
On July 7th, the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour SHINHAN Korea Open reached its conclusion with Xu Xin winning the Men’s Singles title by beating Ma Long 4:1, and Chen Meng  beating Ding Ning 4:1 to win the Women’s Singles.

US beat Brazil to win 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League

On July 7th, the final of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League took place in Nanjing, China, with the US team beating Brazil 2:1 to take home the championship.

Both countries are traditional heavyweights at volleyball, and this contest would guarantee a fantastic high quality volleyball show. The final went the full distance playing all 5 sets in 2.5 hours before the champions were decided. The US team only managed to win by a very narrow margin in the last set, with the final score being 15:13. Securing the win was not easy, but the result was more satisfying to the defending champions, leading to their second title win at the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.

China release list of sports venues to receive subsidies in 2019

On July 4 the General Administration of Sport of China published on its website the sports venues nationwide which will receive financial support from the central government in 2019.

The list of 1323 sports venues covers 36 provinces/autonomous regions/cities across China, and stadiums, arenas and swimming venues are covered. Each of the three types of venues are further classified into different levels according to criteria that was not disclosed in the website release.

Demographic statistics for the 2019 Dongfeng Nissan Chengdu Marathon disclosed

The application stage of the 2019 Dongfeng Nissan Chengdu Marathon closed on July 5, and the demographic statistics of the applicants were released on July 8.

Data showed that by 10 pm on July 5, a total number of 97,283 runners had registered  to take part in the marathon, a 93.4% increase from 2018, which saw 50,294 runners submitting an application.

Adidas NEO co-brands casual shoes with Wangzhe Rongyao

Adidas have announced that they have formed a co-branding partnership with the popular mobile game Wangzhe Rongyao (the Chinese version of Arena of Valor) to roll out a limited new series of sports shoes.

The series combines the features and qualities of 5 popular characters from the game with fashionable elements characteristic of Adidas NEO series of shoes. Specifically, the 5 characters used will be Li Bai, Da Qiao, Zhuge Liang, Gongsong Li and Kai, making it three male and two female characters.

Tottenham Hotspur open official online store on WeChat

English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur opened their official online store for Chinese consumers on WeChat with the store being launched on July 8.

Users can visit the online store on WeChat using their mobile phones to buy official Hotspur merchandise, such as T-shirts, baseball caps, bags, water bottles, portable chargers and umbrellas. Prices for different items are not expensive making them more accessible for fans.

Tsingtao Brewery becomes official partner for Wolverhampton Wanderers China Tour

The English Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers  have announced that their China Tour will start on Sunday, July 14, with Tsingtao Brewery being their official partner for the trip, and that a co-branded limited edition beer will also be available to purchase soon.

Wolves and Tsingtao Brewery will also work with ice cream brand Hi Topping to operate a pop-up shop that will sell Wolverhampton Wanderers-themed, beer-flavored ice cream. A library co-branded by the Wanderers and Tsingtao Brewery has also been unveiled at the Shanghai Fosun Foundation.

Chang'an Auto become Inter Milan Summer Tour 2019 title sponsor

Chang’an Auto have become the title sponsor of Inter Milan’s Summer Tour 2019, providing two of their new automobile brands, Yidong Lanjing and CS35PLUS Lanjing, as the official vehicles for the tour.

Inter Milan will visit four cities on their summer tour which kicks off in Singapore on July 20 as the first stop. Then they will play a game in Nanjing on July 24, followed by a third game in Macau on July 27 and their final game will take place in London on August 4.

Manchester City renew partnership with Chinese mobile phone brand TECNO

On July 11, English Premier League club Manchester City announced they had renewed their collaboration with Tecno, a China-based mobile phone manufacturer.

The partnership began in 2016, with TECNO sponsoring Manchester City as their Official Global Tablet and Handset Partner.

China Telecom and China Mobile become official telecommunication services partners of 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games

The organizing committee of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games have announced that Chinese telecommunications giants China Telecom and China Mobile have jointly become the official telecommunication services partners of the most prestigious sports event in Asia.

China Baseball League to start new season on August 15

The 2019 China Baseball League season will begin on August 15 with 4 teams taking part. According to the organizers of the league, multiple clubs filed paperwork to join the CBL and their applications were evaluated by the Chinese Baseball Association and the Zhongzhibang (Beijing) Sports Operations company which will oversee the operation of the league. Beijing Tigers, Tianjin Lions, Jiangsu Huge Horse and Guangdong Leopards will play in the new China Baseball League season.