Deputy looks to keep winter sports momentum

A model displays winter sports equipment and clothing for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games by Anta Sports at a show in October. CHINA DAILY

In 30 years, Ding Shizhong has grown from a son of a shoemaker to a deputy to the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature. All the while, he has transformed his Jinjiang, Fujian province-based family workshop into a global sportswear company, ranked No 3 in the world in terms of market value.

In his legislative proposal this year, Ding is calling for more efforts to ensure the continuity of policies supporting ice and snow sports beyond the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. "To further develop winter sports and boost domestic gear brands, we will encourage more small and medium-sized enterprises to blossom in the industry by implementing policies to lower costs, add more financial and tax support and improve financing services," said Ding, 52.

Ding is CEO and chairman of the board of directors of the Hong Kong-listed Anta Sports, which has been hailed as a successful growth model for Chinese homegrown brands competing in the global market.

Propelled by innovations, the rise of China Chic, or guochao－the phenomenon of young consumers becoming confident in domestic brands featuring designs mixed with elements from traditional culture－and the acquisition of leading international sports brands, the company's revenues increased from 16.7 billion yuan ($2.64 billion) in 2017 to 35.5 billion yuan in 2020, with market value exceeding HK$500 billion ($64 billion) last year.

Making innovation a priority, Anta has invested more than 3 billion yuan on research and development, or more than 5 percent of its annual sales.

Over the next decade, the company plans to spend about 20 billion yuan to upgrade its global innovation platform. The plans include enhancing the research and development of winter sports technology, as the growth of domestic snow and ice sports brands are vital to the sustainable development of the industry, Ding said.

For example, during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the company provided gear for China's short track speed skating team with breakthrough technology to make equipment and clothing lighter, safer and more breathable.

The legislator suggested in his proposal to the NPC that China continue to use existing winter venues and museums and to extend collaborations between schools, communities and snow and ice enterprises to make winter sports more popular.

In regions that allow winter sports, for example, it would be helpful to involve snow and ice sports in physical education classes in primary and secondary schools to encourage young people to participate.

The government should also subsidize the costs of winter sports training and maintenance of related venues, Ding said in his proposal.

He also suggested enhancing exchanges with top snow and ice R&D centers around the world, formulating plans on key technology research and upgrades to boost manufacturing capacity, and encouraging and supporting collaborations between winter sports gear manufacturers and venue operators.

An athlete works at one of Anta Sports' motion laboratories. CHINA DAILY

For many years, Anta has been engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of sportswear brands including Fila, Descente and Kolon Sport.

In 2019, the company set up an investor consortium to successfully acquire Amer Sports－a Finnish sportswear group that includes internationally recognized brands such as Salomon, Arc'teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic and Wilson－in an aim to unlock the potential of both the mass and high-end sportswear markets.

In July, Anta released its development strategy for the Anta brand over the next five years.

By 2025, the brand's annual growth rate for revenue will be 18 to 25 percent, and its overall market share will increase by 3 to 5 percent.

Anta has also aimed to keep penetrating global markets. The company will look to expand the presence of Amer Sports in China, North American and European markets.

Giving back to the community is also one of Ding's priorities. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Anta last year, Ding and his family pledged to donate 10 billion yuan in cash and stock shares to set up the Hemin Foundation to support charity programs in sectors including medical aid, sports, village vitalization and environmental protection.