Li Na's brave performance in a Grand Slam final is expected spark a tennis boom in China and increase sponsorship in the sport.
Li Na's brave performance in a Grand Slam final is expected spark a tennis boom in China and increase sponsorship in the sport.

Grand Slam loser is still a smash hit back in China



China's Li Na probably had more pressure on her shoulders than most women's tennis players as she stepped on to the court to confront Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the final of the Australian Open recently.

As the first Asian woman to make it to a Grand Slam final, she was hailed back in China as a pioneer. Even though she lost, Sun Jinfang, the head of the Chinese Tennis Association, said Li had secured her position as one of China's all-time sporting greats and predicted her success would prompt a major tennis boom in China.

"Boom" and "China" are magic words to any serious sports sponsor, and the Chinese sponsorship market is worth about US$2 billion (Dh7.34bn). The 2008 Olympics set the ball rolling, causing a surge in investment, not all of it wise or fruitful, but the sports sponsorship market is showing signs of strong growth both in revenues and sophistication.

Li Na's success highlighted that only 12 million Chinese play tennis regularly, a tiny number in a country of 1.3 billion. The growth potential is huge. The Chinese sporting goods market is worth $6bn and is expected to grow 14 per cent a year, according to the China Sporting Goods Federation.

The main focus for sports sponsorship in China is the American National Basketball Association (NBA) and soccer, which have basically been neck-and-neck in terms of attracting sponsorship in recent years. For about 15 years now, the biggest sponsors of football in China have been property companies, despite the fact the Chinese national team has had a less than edifying journey, failing to qualify for most tournaments and underwhelming badly when they do.

The disastrous form of the Chinese national football team means basketball has edged ahead in the national psyche, the sport largely personified by the massive form of Yao Ming, whose image is used to sell everything from Reebok shoes to Visa cards to McDonald's burgers.

Below these two are sports that are closely connected to national pride, such as gymnastics, badminton, diving and women's tennis. Domestic sponsors are also joining the market.

China's Li Ning, formed by the gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast, paved the way for domestic producers back in 2006 when the company signed NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

In the English Premier League, the Chinese sportswear company Xtep sponsors Birmingham City's shirts.

Guirenniao (K-Bird) has sponsored many of the so-called "gentlemen's sports", which include golf, snooker and equestrian events. It also includes cricket, but that is still very much a minority sport.

Chinese sponsors are looking abroad, too. Yingli Solar recently became the first Chinese sponsor of the German Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich.

The company, which was also a sponsor of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, will be a partner of the four-time European champions until June 2014.

Apart from popular figures such as Yao Ming and the hurdler Liu Qiang, sponsors tend to be keen to invest in competitions rather than individuals. There is a lot of interest in investing in golf, and the sport is growing strongly, but restrictions on the construction of new golf courses means the market is limited.

For a long time, foreign sponsors were reluctant to invest too much in the China market because of the inevitable piracy of their products.

But the lure of hundreds of millions of consumers has proven too strong, and in recent years, there have been some highly public crackdowns on pirate goods in China.

"I honestly believe if Li Na had won, she would made a very strong step towards being a world icon," said Mark Thomas, who runs the sports marketing group S2M in Shanghai.

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Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday: 

  • 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
  • 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
  • 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
  • 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
  • 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
  • 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
  • 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
  • 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
  • 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
  • 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

FA CUP FINAL

Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

If you go

The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at. 
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.   

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES

Mar 10: Norwich(A)

Mar 13: Newcastle(H)

Mar 16: Lille(A)

Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)

Apr 2: Brentford(H)

The biog

Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha

Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Holiday destination: Sri Lanka

First car: VW Golf

Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters

Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The Saga Continues

Wu-Tang Clan

(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE