China

Choosing to begin electric racing series Formula E in Beijing was no accident, despite China having little history in motorsport.

Accurate figures are hard to come by, but there’s no doubt that golf is on the rise in China. The core golfing population (those who regularly play the game) is estimated by research firm Forward Group to be around 500,000, with the broader golfing population (those who might be classed as fans of the sport) at more than 1m.

The NFL has been active in China for a decade, opening its first office in the market in 2008. Its early efforts were designed to back up the broadcast of live games on television.

English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur has an estimated fan base of around 45m in China, according to the club, with five Official Supporters Clubs in the country. It has over 2m followers on Weibo and has its own WeChat page and Youku channel.

The NBA started playing in China in 1979 when the Washington Bullets took on China’s national team at the invitation of then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Few foresaw that one day China would play such a huge role in the NBA’s international growth.

Liverpool was the first European football club to enter Chinese social media in July 2011 with the launch of an official presence on Sina Weibo, coinciding with a club tour of the country. Liverpool was also first to launch on WeChat, in 2013.

It’s obvious that the platforms that dominate in China are markedly different to those that marketers are familiar with elsewhere – even in nearby Asian markets. However, it’s not just the platforms that are different; the ways that Chinese netizens use social channels is also notably different. As digital marketing agency We Are Social points out, “marketers need to carefully adapt their approaches for China’s cultural and societal idiosyncrasies as much as for its technological differences.”

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is poised to expand to 14 events for its 2016 season through the return of a Chinese event to the motor racing series for the first time since 1999.

A senior Chinese sports official will be prosecuted for corruption after an investigation found he abused his position and took bribes, the Communist Party's corruption watchdog said today (Thursday).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Sport in an effort to clamp down on the supply of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

The Chinese city of Hangzhou has been ratified as the host of the 2022 Asian Games multi-sport event, while Randhir Singh has stepped down as secretary general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has entered into a collaboration with media corporation Sina and private equity firm Yunfeng Capital to establish a company that aims to “transform” the country’s sports industry.

Leading US boxing promotion company Top Rank has entered into a partnership with Chinese sports marketing and management company SECA to launch a new venture which aims to drive the development of the sport in the country.

Energy and financial services company CEFC China has become the majority shareholder of Czech First League top-tier football club Slavia Prague.

The 2022 winter Olympic Games in Beijing will “undoubtedly” help to advance human rights in China, according to a spokesperson for the local organising committee.

Owen Evans asked Jeff Slack, former IMG senior vice-president of football, for a sports marketer’s perspective on working in China and whether the David Beckham factor kick-started football in the country.