The Chinese government has officially approved and released the "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Leading Sports Nation," a landmark national-level strategy. This comprehensive policy document systematically outlines the development and promotion of high-quality growth in the sports sector for the period. Analysts suggest this policy-driven target for the sports industry is likely to catalyze new consumption scenarios and investment opportunities across various related fields.
The Plan sets forth five primary objectives for 2030, including increasing the per capita sports venue area to approximately 4 square meters, raising the proportion of the population regularly participating in physical exercise to around 40%, achieving a national physical fitness excellence rate of 31.1%, maintaining a leading position in world championship counts, and expanding the total scale of the sports industry to exceed 7 trillion yuan. A spokesperson for the National Sports Administration's policy and regulation department indicated that the Plan details strategic tasks and major initiatives across multiple domains, including public fitness, competitive sports, youth sports, major ball games, the sports industry, sports culture, international sports exchanges, as well as sports education, technology, talent development, legal frameworks, anti-doping, lotteries, and safety.
China's sports industry is currently advancing to new heights. The domestic sports goods market reached 2.49 trillion yuan in 2025, with the overall sports industry scale hitting 5.12 trillion yuan, positioning its growth rate at the forefront of the global sports market. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in national fitness initiatives, with a marked increase in the proportion of the population regularly exercising, laying a solid foundation for sports-related consumption.
Sports consumption has become a standout category within upgraded consumer spending. Retail sales of sports and recreational goods by large-scale enterprises saw a year-on-year increase of 15.7%, reflecting robust and sustained demand for products like sports equipment and fitness gear. A stable, reliable, and high-quality supply of products is considered a key prerequisite for stimulating consumption within the sports industry.
The flourishing sports economy is expected to have a ripple effect, driving growth in related sectors such as sports tourism, sporting goods, and event broadcasting. For instance, the final stages of Sichuan's "Chuan Super" league, in conjunction with 21 cities and prefectures, offered over 500 million yuan in cultural and tourism consumption incentives, stimulating more than 56 billion yuan in spending. The Shanghai Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix set a new attendance record for the third consecutive year, with ticket revenue surging over 30% year-on-year.
Starting from April 2026, major provincial football leagues like "Zhe Super," "Su Super," "Lu Super," "Min Super," and "Yue Super" will commence. The 2025 "Su Super" league notably boosted offline consumption, with Douyin group-buy sales in Jiangsu province increasing by 68% during the tournament period. Additionally, new fitness events like Hyrox and CrossFit are gaining popularity, and top-tier domestic marathons continue to attract significant interest. Future sports events are anticipated to become a core component of consumers' offline entertainment activities, similar to live performances, and generate wider industrial chain effects.
Globally, the sports economy encompasses several industrial chains. Its core industries, including professional and elite sports, participatory sports and physical exercise, sporting goods, and sports tourism, collectively created a $2 trillion market in 2025. Five associated sports industries contributed an additional $300 billion to the market.
Analysts at Guotai Haitong Securities note that the 7 trillion yuan target for the sports industry by 2030 suggests a potential landscape where sports consumption could "bloom in multiple areas," presenting new consumption scenarios and investment opportunities across various sectors. Meanwhile, analysts from Orient Securities point out that while capital markets are increasingly confident in the tech sector's role in driving economic growth, the extreme divergence in market performance between new and traditional industries also reflects a deepening of this narrative. They argue that the sustained growth capability and stability of leading domestic sports brands, driven by persistent technological innovation, are currently overlooked or undervalued by the market due to their traditional industry label and short-term performance volatility amid broader consumer market conditions. They recommend focusing on brands with significant cost-performance advantages in this "K-shaped" market divergence.
ANTA SPORTS (HKEX: 02020): The company released operating data for the second quarter and first half. Its main ANTA brand achieved low single-digit and mid single-digit growth in retail sales value for Q2 and H1 respectively, demonstrating strong resilience. Furthermore, its other brands, primarily DESCENTE and KOLON SPORT, performed exceptionally well, with retail sales value increasing by 25%-30% and 35%-40% year-on-year for Q2 and H1, respectively.
LI NING (HKEX: 02331): On June 2nd, the company announced a long-term partnership with four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, and his Curry Brand. This collaboration marks a milestone between a Chinese brand and a top-tier global NBA star and is expected to positively impact Li Ning's brand equity, product offerings, and overseas expansion.
XTEP INT'L (HKEX: 01368): The company disclosed its Q2 2026 operational data. Retail sales for its core Xtep brand recorded a mid-single-digit percentage decline year-on-year (compared to low single-digit growth in Q1), while sales for Saucony recorded low single-digit growth (compared to over 20% growth in Q1). Despite facing near-term challenges, management reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, targeting mid-single-digit percentage growth in group revenue and a high single-digit percentage net profit margin.
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