The cross-country running zone, through authentic track designs like undulating slopes and gravel sections, allows visitors to experience the sensation of “wind rushing past their ears” while running outdoors, all within an urban exhibition hall. The alpine-style climbing exhibition uses professional climbing structures and multi-segment slope designs to recreate the complete journey from base camp to the snowy summit. The technology sports area, through VR/AR immersive installations, presents future sports scenarios right before the audience, who can participate in data-driven fitness tests and immersive competitive interactions…
At the 2025 Shanghai International Event Culture and Sports Goods Expo (hereinafter referred to as the “Shanghai Sports Expo”) which opened, exploration of scenes, interaction, and consumption has upgraded the traditional “exhibition visit” into a fully engaged “immersion,” transforming every participant from a spectator into the true protagonist of the experience.
This edition of the Shanghai Sports Expo takes “Explore More” as its main theme, issuing a declaration for a new era of the sports industry to the world. It achieves a strategic leap in four dimensions: scale expansion, business format integration, scenario innovation, and resource aggregation. The vast 50,000-square-meter space hosts over 200 global brands, together with tens of thousands of professional visitors and sports enthusiasts, witnessing a globally resonant feast of sports exploration.
Standing in front of a booth at the expo, swimming world champion Tang Qianting, who had just “transitioned” from the arena of the 15th National Games, used “awe-inspiring” to describe her feelings: “Seeing so many sports brands and sports goods gathered together feels magnificent. I’m usually more in the swimming pool or at competitions, so today I also want to take a good look around and see what equipment everyone is using now.”
She brought a special golden competition swim cap with her signature on it. “I hope this swim cap can convey a belief of ‘always striving for first place and moving forward courageously’ to more people,” Tang Qianting said.
Speaking on the relationship between competitive sports and sports consumption, she offered her perspective: “Whether it was participating in the World Cup in Shanghai last year or coming to the Sports Expo today, I can feel that beyond the competition venues, there are many people supporting sports in their own ways. Good equipment and a good event atmosphere actually also push us to improve our performance in reverse.”
After the National Games, she took a short break for herself but will soon return to the training pool. “I need to maintain my speed in the 50m and 100m events and not fall behind in the aerobic capacity for the 200m. I hope to ‘bloom fully’ in the new cycle and prepare for the Los Angeles Olympics.”
At the opening ceremony, the latest achievements in Shanghai’s sports industry development and consumption promotion were simultaneously released, presenting the vigorous energy level of Shanghai’s sports industry through vivid cases and cutting-edge data.
The total scale of Shanghai’s sports industry continues to rise. In 2024, the city’s total sports industry output reached 316.9 billion yuan, nearly doubling compared to the beginning of the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. The added value of the sports industry exceeded 100 billion yuan, accounting for 1.9% of the regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Sports consumption maintains strong growth, with comprehensive leaps across the industry chain including events, fitness, equipment, and technology. According to third-party data, during the consumption festival period (May to November), the transaction volume of sports industry merchants in Shanghai increased by 13.89% year-on-year. Twenty innovative projects and scenario-based consumption practices with industry demonstration significance, such as the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the Volvo China Open, stood out and were selected as typical cases for the 2025 Shanghai Sports Consumption Festival, demonstrating the powerful momentum of sports in empowering urban life and stimulating consumption vitality.
