"Olympic economy" boosts China's export of sports products

With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games approaching, sports equipment manufacturers in China are busy as the rising "Olympic economy" drives export of related products such as table tennis ball and soccer ball.

Currently, more than 35,000 of table tennis balls, the official designated ones for the Paris Olympics, have been shipped to the competition venue.

The manufacturing company of the designated balls has re-designed its production line to churn out these event supplies.

"According to the standards of International Table Tennis Federation, the elasticity tolerance of table tennis balls should be less than 25 millimeters. Our products have an elasticity tolerance of less than four millimeters," said Du Menghuan, senior engineer at the Research Institute of Sports Equipment Firm in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province in south China.

According to Du, export orders have grown rapidly since the beginning of the year. Some peripheral products such as rackets and tables are very popular in the market as well.

The company is expanding its capacity to meet demand, Du added.

"During the first half of this year, sales of our international competition-grade table tennis balls increased by over 50 percent from a year ago. In terms of exports, sales have already approached the total sales for the entire previous year," said Liang Zhixiong, assistant general manager of a sports goods enterprise in Guangzhou.

In the meantime, many businesses are integrating state-of-the-art technologies into the production of sporting goods.

In terms of the soccer ball for the Games, a manufacturer in Jiangsu Province in east China has implanted a chip inside it that can perform 500 recognitions per second, effectively improving judgment accuracy and transparency. "Through this chip's real-time data, it's possible to quickly analyze all kinds of conditions on the field, such as collecting the physical fitness status of all team members," said Zhou Hongda, general manager of a sports goods company in Huai'an City.

Merchants said that these new technologies have contributed to a significant increase in their product sales.

"Olympic economy" boosts China's export of sports products

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday met with Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Noting that Guinea is the first sub-Saharan African country to establish diplomatic relations with China, Xi said the two countries will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties next month.

Xi said China is willing to cultivate and carry forward the traditional friendship with Guinea and continue to firmly support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns.

China will strengthen cooperation with Guinea in areas such as infrastructure construction, resource development, rural construction, poverty alleviation, medical care and health, Xi said, adding that China will help Guinea translate its rich resources into momentum for development.

The FOCAC is not only an effective mechanism for boosting China-Africa pragmatic cooperation but also a hallmark in South-South cooperation, Xi said.

China is willing to work closely with Guinea to ensure the success of this FOCAC summit, Xi added.

Doumbouya said China's advanced development concepts and successful experience serve as a valuable reference for Guinea.

The investment cooperation of Chinese companies in Guinea has facilitated the development of Guinea's economy and the improvement of its people's well-being, Doumbouya said.

Guinea believes the summit will boost more fruitful cooperation in infrastructure, energy, transportation, tourism and other fields, Doumbouya said.

Xi meets Guinean president