Climbing, skateboarding and other sports "entering the Olympics" welcome spring, extreme sports may spark a new consumption wave
“How can the middle class spend a high-end holiday? See which extreme sport suits you.”
This was a travel ad during the National Day holiday. According to reporters,Against the backdrop of nationwide consumption upgrading, extreme sports in China have gradually moved from being extremely niche to becoming popular, and during the National Day holiday, many people chose to participate in the Weihai Triathlon, the Chicago Marathon, or go diving in Southeast Asia.
On the other hand, the preliminary selection for the Hubei Province Extreme Sports Cross-discipline and Cross-event Talent Search for the “I Want to Go to the Olympics” program was held on October 9 at the Hubei Olympic Sports Center. It is understood that with climbing, surfing, skateboarding, and BMX biking being added as new events to the Tokyo Olympics, China’s sports authorities are gradually expanding their cross-discipline and cross-event talent selection efforts.
A person in charge of the Beijing Extreme Sports Association told reporters that niche extreme sports becoming Olympic events helps to legitimize them. More and more sports companies are trying their hand in the field of extreme sports, and capital is also eyeing this area, eager to get involved.
“With the rise of sports consumption upgrades among the Chinese people, in addition to skiing and marathons, extreme sports such as triathlon, climbing, and surfing have also become new hot spots. Industry insiders analyze,Sports is not just about health, but also a new way of life.” He further explained.
Extreme sports under consumption upgrading
A person in charge of the Beijing Extreme Sports Association told reporters that there are many types of extreme sports, such as parkour, skateboarding, BMX biking, extreme rollerblading, speed climbing, extreme fitness, and more than 20 other activities.The inherent appeal, novelty, and challenge of extreme sports, combined with the rise of post-90s and post-00s generations and the overall upgrade in consumption, are attracting an increasing number of participants.
Han Yuanyuan is a white-collar worker at a state-owned enterprise in Beijing and an extreme sports enthusiast. The activities she enjoys include triathlon, marathon, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
According to her, currently there are quite a few mountain biking enthusiasts, and triathlon is also being explored by more and more people. Rock climbing remains a niche interest, and the number of climbing gyms is only growing naturally, as climbing venues require a lot of space and have slow returns on investment.
Another Beijing-based rock climbing enthusiast, Dong Bin, has a different view. He told reporters that although rock climbing is indeed a niche sport, it is very easy to get hooked after trying it just a couple of times—he goes climbing every Friday. He noticed that there were very few climbing gyms in Beijing two years ago, but now they are growing rapidly, including some universities opening climbing facilities. Many talented climbers come from universities, and there are also many elementary and middle school students participating in climbing training.
In Han Yuanyuan’s opinion, compared to climbing, triathlon is the most expensive, but more and more people are taking part.
Triathlon combines three long-established sports—swimming, cycling, and running—into one outdoor sporting event. During the National Day holiday, the 2017 Weihai Triathlon World Cup and Weihai Super Triathlon Series attracted 1,328 athletes from 34 countries and regions who successfully completed the races.
On October 10, a staff member of the organizing committee told reporters that with more and more Chinese people paying attention to triathlon, Weihai this year launched its own independently branded Super Triathlon Series for the first time and added events at the Super Triathlon distance.
The Super Triathlon distance means that triathletes need to swim 3 kilometers, cycle 100 kilometers, and run 25 kilometers off-road, for a total distance of 128 kilometers, with a cutoff time of 12 hours.
A person in charge of the Beijing Outdoor Sports Association said that today, sports is no longer just a training method aimed purely at achieving health, but also a reflection of a new way of life. Traditional fitness methods can no longer fully meet people’s increasingly diverse fitness needs. As a new, youthful, and exciting sport, extreme sports are drawing more and more attention.
“Entering the Olympics” = Spring?
In 2017, climbing became one of the nineteen mass-participation events in the Tianjin National Games. Industry insiders say that after climbing was included in the National Games, more clubs started offering the sport, and enthusiasm grew across various regions.
Official information from 2016 showed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would add four new events—climbing, surfing, skateboarding, and BMX biking. To prepare for the Olympics, the General Administration of Sport of China decided to conduct nationwide cross-discipline and cross-event talent selection for the national team. In the past month, several provinces in China have started recommending and selecting outstanding athletes across the province.
What new changes will the increased Olympic focus on niche extreme sports bring? A person in charge of the Beijing Extreme Sports Association told reporters,The inclusion of extreme sports in the Olympics is a sign that niche sports are gradually stepping onto the main stage.Extreme sports are not just a form of exercise, but also an attitude toward life and a cultural phenomenon emerging in the context of consumption upgrading.
He also stated that the inclusion of extreme sports in the Olympics is recognition of these events, and also...recognition of the work done by practitioners. At the same time, it means that parents who oppose their children’s participation in extreme sports, as well as those who are averse to street culture, may have a change of heart. He emphasized that the inclusion of extreme sports in the Olympicshas a significant promoting effect on the development of extreme sports.
Wang Yuxiong, deputy dean of the School of Sports Economics and Management at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said that it is relatively difficult to popularize niche sports. It is still hard to say how much the inclusion of niche sports in the Olympics will promote them. “But what is certain is that once they become official events, increased national attentionwill inevitably drive growth in related industrial chains such as talent training and equipment.”
In addition, consumers who watch Olympic events will become more familiar with and engaged in the corresponding sports, which are allpotential consumer groups to be cultivated.
In his view, some niche sports have certain requirements for geographical infrastructure and cannot be carried out everywhere—for example, surfing. Wang Yuxiong suggested that some regions could combine extreme sports with tourismto develop locally distinctive sports tourism projects, meeting the current needs of upgraded tourism and sports consumption.
As for how the niche sports industry can generate profits? He said that businesses can achieve substantial profitability by focusing on niche sports nichesand building strong user loyalty, such as organizing small-scale competitions or outdoor travel events.
Regarding government policy support, the head of the Beijing Extreme Sports Association stated that such assistance varies by region. Southern areas tend to place relatively more emphasis on the development of extreme sports, with some cities having built or currently constructing extreme sports parks, or integrating extreme sports into sports town projects—but this is far from being a priority area of support. In northern regions, possibly due to climatic factors, street sports are still somewhat limited during winter.
Author: Zhou Hui
Source: 21st Century Business Herald