TIANJIN — In the mountainous areas of North China's Tianjin municipality, hikers and cyclists frequently gather to explore the natural beauty. More than 2,000 kilometers away in Wanning, South China's Hainan province, paddleboarding has emerged as a popular activity among young tourists.
Even as temperatures continue to rise across much of China, consumer enthusiasm for sports shows no signs of waning. Driven by a boom in fitness and experience-oriented consumption, China's sporting goods market is rapidly expanding and upgrading, providing strong momentum for the growth of international sports brands in the country.
"Chinese consumers' demand for sports has in recent years expanded beyond clothing and equipment to service-oriented areas such as training, sporting events, spectating and community interaction," said Yang Mulin, vice-president of Decathlon China, adding that the integration of sports with cultural and tourism offerings is creating sustained room for the company's growth.
As one of the first international sports brands to enter the Chinese market, Decathlon has operated in China for nearly four decades, witnessing the growing appetite for fitness activities across the country.
