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Mia Nurmamat

China plans to expand the scale of its sports industry to at least 7 trillion yuan (about US$1 trillion) over the next five years, turning to sporting events, outdoor activities and fitness spending to boost consumption and support local economies.
The fresh target was detailed by officials at a press conference on Thursday as part of Beijing’s 15th five-year plan for the sports sector, and the goal represents a big jump from the 3.84 trillion yuan recorded in 2024, according to the most recent data.
China’s General Administration of Sport said the country would cultivate home-grown event brands, improve the spectator experience, and use competitions to stimulate spending across dining, accommodation, transport, tourism, retail and entertainment.
Policymakers were also betting that the expansion would create jobs and support a broader commercial ecosystem centred on sporting events.
The plan comes as Beijing seeks to stimulate consumption and employment, aiming to offset a prolonged property downturn and persistently weak household spending that continue to weigh on local government revenue, the job market and national economic growth.
Unlike one-off purchases of subsidised consumer goods, participation in sports can generate recurring spending on training, equipment, travel and entertainment. Meanwhile, relatively inexpensive local competitions can draw spectators into restaurants, hotels, shops and tourist attractions.
The Jiangsu Football City League has offered an early example of the model that policymakers hope to replicate. Last year, in its inaugural season, the provincial league staged 85 matches and attracted more than 2.43 million spectators, while relatively low ticket prices and rivalries between the province’s 13 cities helped turn matches into wider tourism and shopping occasions.




In the first nine months of last year, 213 sporting events monitored by Jiangsu authorities attracted 5.73 million visits and generated 3.54 billion yuan in consumer spending.
Similar gains have been recorded elsewhere. Shanghai’s 182 domestic and international sporting events generated an estimated 13.5 billion yuan in direct economic impact in 2025, with the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix alone accounting for 2.47 billion yuan.
Those results have encouraged policymakers to step up support for the industry. The sports administration said it would foster online broadcasting, digital training, virtual sports and intelligent venue operations, while using digital technology to create new forms of sports consumption.
To increase the availability of events, Beijing plans to improve the quality of competitions and spectator participation while increasing ticket supply to address strong demand for popular events.
Technology and manufacturing form another pillar of the strategy. The sports administration said it would support research into high-performance competition equipment and smart wearables, while accelerating the replacement of imported equipment and encouraging the commercialisation of domestic sports technologies.
Beyond consumption and employment, improving public health is another important element of the strategy. Amid a rapidly ageing population and a growing chronic disease burden, Beijing is increasingly treating physical activity as part of its national health agenda.
By 2030, China aims to increase per capita sports venue space to about 4 square metres (43 square feet) from 3 square metres currently, while also raising the proportion of people who exercise regularly to about 40 per cent from roughly 38.5 per cent. The country also intends to build or renovate more than 5,000 small sports parks, fitness centres, multifunctional courts and public skating facilities.


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China is looking to leverage fitness and events to stimulate local economies, as new five-year blueprint aims to nearly double the economic output of the athletic sector


China is looking to leverage fitness and events to stimulate local economies, as new five-year blueprint aims to nearly double the economic output of the athletic sector.
