Most Popular Sports in China: Football
The Chinese Super League boasts 16 teams which are privately owned. Matches are widely covered by Chinese TV stations. The current Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to turn China into a football superpower. Soccer pitches will be built all over the country to attract millions of players. China has played only once in the World Cup, and that was in 2002 when it lost all three games and failed to score a single goal. And in the national league, most of the top scorers are imported players.
Players |
Awards |
Olympic Wins |
---|---|---|
Sun Jihai |
Chinese Footballer of the Year (2002) |
– |
Zheng Zhi |
AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player (2004, 2019) |
– |
Li Tie |
AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player (2004) |
– |
Hao Haidong |
Chinese Footballer of the Year (1993) |
– |
List of Most Popular Sports in China
Sports have significantly shaped China’s history, identity, and national pride. They have excelled in sports like table tennis, diving, and badminton. Since hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics, the country has announced a series of national plans aspiring to become a strong sports nation by 2025. The Chinese government takes care of its professional players as a means of dominating sports.
Let us learn more about the popular sports in China.