China Targets 7 Trillion Yuan Sports Industry by 2030

Yang Xuedong, director of the Department of Sports Economy under the General Administration of Sport, said at a State Council Information Office press conference on September 3 that the administration will anchor its goal of achieving a total sports industry scale of 7 trillion yuan by 2030, driving quality improvement, expansion, and upgrading through three key areas: the event economy, outdoor sports, and technological innovation.

In the event economy, the administration will improve the efficiency of event approval, shorten approval cycles, and lower the threshold and cost of hosting events, while enhancing the appeal of competitions and the experience of public participation. By expanding the supply of high-quality events, it aims to ease the problem of hard-to-get tickets, leverage the broad reach, high engagement, and strong multiplier effects of sports events, and promote the coordinated development of the upstream and downstream competition and performance industry chain as well as related sectors such as dining, accommodation, travel, shopping, and entertainment. The goal is to build an event economy ecosystem centered on proprietary event intellectual property.

In outdoor sports, the administration will leverage local resource endowments to develop mountain, water, and ice-and-snow outdoor activities, promote the construction of 100 high-quality outdoor sports destinations, and create premium routes and brand events. It will also strengthen the supply of outdoor sports standards, popularize knowledge of risk prediction and first aid skills, and ensure the high-quality development of the outdoor sports industry through safety measures.

In technological innovation, the administration will enhance the independent research and development capabilities of sports goods manufacturers, accelerate the application of new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in the sports sector, and cultivate new business forms including live sports streaming, online training, virtual sports, and smart operations. Through digital technology innovation, it will create new models and scenarios for sports consumption and promote the upgrading of sports services from standardized to personalized offerings.