Asia Sports Business Weekly | 19th July

Hello Industry Friends, here is the very latest news and insights from Asia.

?? Headlines: Sports events entice Chinese tourists to Europe, Indonesian Government sets ‘Sports Tourism’ 2025 plan, IMG to identify AFA sponsors in APAC, NRL announces 2025 Vegas spectacular, and opinion pieces on Nike navigating China, as well as three on the upcoming Olympics + China.?

??? Key Industry News

Sports Events Entice Chinese Tourists to Europe

EURO 2024 highlighted sports' appeal among Chinese tourists - Qunar, an online travel service provider, reported a doubling of flight bookings to Germany during the football event and a 1.5-fold increase in hotel bookings, with prices up by 25 percent. Read more on China Travel News (English)

??Our Take: Despite China not being involved in the competition, the EURO’s was a trending topic online throughout the tournament, landing on top of every key Chinese social media platform’s trending list. Midnight and 3am kick-offs didn’t deter Chinese fans from staying up and watching their favourite teams, with the same furore, and more, expected for the upcoming Paris Olympics

Indonesian Government Sets "Sports Tourism" as The Big Plan for 2025

Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a major cabinet meeting with several of his ministers this week. It was revealed that the President requested a plan with the theme of "Sports Tourism" for 2025, which is set to make Indonesia the host of global sporting events such as the World Surfer League, MotoGP, MXGP, F1 Power Boat, Aquabike, World Ability Sport Games, and UFC. Read more at Minister of Youth & Sports Site (Indonesian)

?? Our Take: This is big news to take Indonesia to the next level, after several successes in hosting global sporting events such as MotoGP, FIBA and the junior FIFA World Cup. The main highlight of course lies in UFC. Interest in MMA has exploded since the first-ever Indonesian debuted in UFC, Jeka Saragih. A UFC event would be the biggest combat sports event ever held in the country. The potential economic value generated will be extraordinary in this "Sports Tourism" plan.

IMG to Identify AFA Sponsors in APAC

The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) appointed IMG as its exclusive sponsorship agency in the Asia Pacific region (APAC), as part of a two-year deal that will run from 2025 to 2026. IMG will identify new sponsorship opportunities for the Argentina men's and women’s national teams in 39 countries in the region ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, including China. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

NRL Announces 2025 Vegas Spectacular, Following US Debut in 2024

The Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors, Penrith Panthers, and Cronulla Sharks have been chosen to play in the opening round of the 2025 NRL season in Las Vegas. The event will not only feature these NRL matches, but also include a Super League game between Wigan and Warrington, and a Women's Test match between Australia and England, making it more than just an NRL showcase. Read more on Sporting News (English)

?? Our Take: The NRL continues its push to grow the game in the US and the addition of the Super League and Women's game will no doubt expand the global profile of this event. The inclusion of the Warriors opens up interest from New Zealand, with many of their fans expected to make the trip to Vegas. The latest edition of the NRL in Vegas will undoubtedly be a much bigger spectacle, giving rugby league a platform on the world stage.

Chinese Groups Take Centre Stage in EURO 2024 Advertising Drive

This drive underlines the global pulling power of football and live sport with domestic and international audiences in the battle to boost sales, with five of the 13 official tournament sponsors being Chinese companies - Ant Group’s payments app Alipay, Alibaba’s online marketplace AliExpress, smartphone manufacturer Vivo, consumer electronics group Hisense, and electric-vehicle maker BYD. Read more on FT (English)

AFC Scores Five-year Partnership Extension with Saudi Smart City Neom

This extension coincides with the AFC revamping its club tournaments, including the newly introduced AFC Champions League Elite Finals, with the 2025 edition concluding in Riyadh, and the first AFC Women’s Champions League featuring the top 12 women’s sides from across Asia. Read more on SportsPro Media (English)

Volleyball Nations League 2024 Sets Records for Attendance, Viewership, and Engagement

The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) became one of the most-watched sports events this year, with the latest edition breaking records for attendance, viewership, and social media reach. Featuring the world’s top national teams, the tournament became the second-most watched sports broadcast in China, with a peak viewership reaching 23.6m and a cumulative audience of 268 million. Read more on SCMP (English)

UEFA Chief Hails 'Best Ever' EURO 2024, Aims to Help China Create Superstar

The head of European football governing body said that UEFA was ready to cooperate with the Chinese Football Association, sharing the aim of cultivating a future Chinese superstar player who could excel in the Champions League. Read more on China Daily (English)

China Moves into UCI WorldTour with XDS-Astana Qazaqstan Deal

Kazakh UCI World Tour team Astana Qazaqstan has announced a sponsorship and investment deal with Chinese bicycle manufacturer XDS, having the potential to become the latest major commercial move in the road cycling market. Read more on SportBusiness (English)

PT LIB Collaborates with Catapult PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), the Indonesian FA's company that organises the official professional football league in Indonesia, has officially cooperated with the high-tech GPS vest provider from Australia, Catapult, for the next three years. Read more at VOI (English).

?? Opinion

How Nike’s Navigating China’s Cut-Throat Sportswear Market

Competing with local brands and Adidas’ rising cult status, Nike’s been drilling down on its reputation in the China market this year. Read more on Jing Daily (English)

In Paris, China Hopes to Surf, Climb, Dance, and Skate to Olympic Glory

For Paris 2024, China’s Olympic lineup is evolving, introducing sports like surfing, skateboarding, and breaking. These new disciplines will test the boundaries of tradition and talent in sports scarcely older than the athletes themselves. Read more on Sixth Tone (English)

How To Do Meme Marketing with the Olympics? Dairy Brands Yili and Mengniu Provide Good Answers

It is officially the one-week countdown to the Summer Olympic Games. As sponsors of the Olympics, dairy brands Mengniu and Yili have launched their marketing campaigns, utilising the most popular memes of late. Read more on DAO (English)

Olympics Fever Drives Sportswear in China

In a stark contrast to the revenge shopping habits observed this time last year, China’s conservative luxury spend deepens further into the second quarter of 2024. Read more on Vogue Business (English)

?? Esports

China Media Group, Esports World Cup, and VSPO Form Strategic Partnership

State media company China Media Group, the Esports World Cup Foundation and tournament organiser VSPO have signed a strategic partnership. According to a release, China Media Group unveiled the National Institute for Esports Development on Friday in Beijing, with the institute then signing a deal with the two companies to jointly organise and participate in future esports events. Read more on Esports Insider (English)

Seoul's First Esports Festival to be Held in September

Seoul's premier gaming and e-sports festival, 'GES (GamEsportSeoul) 2024,' will be held in September for the first time this year. The tournament prize pool is expected to be around $300k, and the event is anticipated to attract more than 6k spectators on-site. Read more on Newsis (Korean)

?? Our Take: South Korea has had the reputation of being the absolute best cultivator of top esports talent due not only to its extremely competitive culture, but also because of the amount of corporate support for esports in general. Further investment into esports from governments and corporations solidifies esports as a legitimate sporting category and further diminishes the stigma of gaming that is ever present in mainstream social culture.

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