China

As the Chinese government seeks to control the overseas flow of its currency, Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at Salford University Manchester and founding co-director of the China Soccer Observatory at the University of Nottingham, looks at a history of government intervention in the creation of the country’s sports economy.

China Aoyuan Property has put forward an offer of 3.3 billion yuan (€425.7m/$485.2m) to acquire a 22 per cent stake in China Sports Industry Group, as part of an effort to take advantage of increased demand for construction work in the country’s expanding sports market.

The Formula One motor-racing series has partnered with the Lagardère Sports agency in a move designed to further raise the sport’s profile in China.

The International Skating Union (ISU) has formed a working group to study the potential inclusion of a new discipline at the 2022 winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

Schools in developing sports markets such as China and India are forging links that could eventually push them towards the top set in sports business postgraduate academia. Richard Mulligan reports.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has expanded the Women’s WorldTour for its third season in 2018 with the addition of new events in Belgium, Spain and China.

Chungwon Choue has today (Friday) been re-elected as president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) as a new elite-level series, backed by Chinese investment, was unveiled that is designed to enhance the sport’s commercial appeal and media profile.

Sports and betting-related services company Sportradar has entered into a partnership with Beitai Digital, a leading provider of sports data products in China.

International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt has confirmed the governing body has been approached by entities interested in forming new Formula One teams, amid reports of plans for a Chinese entry.

Chinese company Lander Sports Development has announced plans to form a wholly owned sports development subsidiary in the city of Hangzhou.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated to Gianni Infantino, the president of football’s global governing body Fifa, that the country wants to host the World Cup “in the future” after the pair met in Beijing.

The Alisports arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has joined forces with the International Ski Federation (FIS) in a move designed to raise the popularity of the sport in China ahead of the winter Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

Chinese retail giant Suning Holdings is in talks to invest in China Sports Media, which has media rights for the Chinese Super League domestic top-tier football competition, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission has praised the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee for its efforts relating to sustainability ahead of the Chinese capital’s staging of the winter Games.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said the country could join forces with neighbouring North Korea in a joint bid for the Fifa 2030 World Cup, while Hong Kong has expressed an interest in joining China in its effort to land hosting rights to a future edition of the national football team tournament.

Chinese company Lander Sports Development has agreed a partnership with the local Pengzhou government to construct a new ‘sports town’ in the city at an estimated cost of 4 billion yen (€526bn/$588.3bn).