As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games draw near, Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities located in east China's Zhejiang Province, has seen a significant surge in exports of sporting goods, with an increase of over 45 percent in the first four months of this year.
In the same period, China's overall exports rose by 4.9 percent year-on-year to 7.81 trillion yuan (over 1.08 trillion U.S. dollars). Notably, exports of sporting goods increased by 13 percent, alongside a significant growth in sectors such as shipbuilding, electric vehicles, and construction machinery.
Yiwu is renowned for its high-quality, affordable products. With the Paris Olympic Games on the horizon, the city is attracting more foreign buyers for its sports products thanks to the anticipated global exposure and a robust export performance that underscores its growing market presence.
"From March to April this year, we've experienced a consistent rise in orders, shipping over three containers to Western nations such as France and Germany," said Zhu Fangzhou, a manager at a local sports shop.
In Yiwu International Trade City, home to more than 600 sports goods stores, one merchant specializing in ball sports-related products reported exports worth more than one million yuan (over 138,000 U.S. dollars) in just two months.
"Our foreign trade enterprises have effectively capitalized on opportunities from major sports events like the Olympic Games and the UEFA European Football Championship. In the first four months alone, exports of sporting goods from Yiwu increased by 45.6 percent," said Lyu Daliang, director of Statistics and Analysis at the General Administration of Customs.
Yiwu sees significant surge in sporting goods exports ahead of Paris 2024 Olympic Games
