Corporate bucks back pro 'olive ball'

Alibaba funding 10-year program to boost interest

China will get its first professional rugby union competition as part of a $100 million investment in the currently low-profile sport by e-commerce giant Alibaba, the firm and World Rugby said on Wednesday.

As well as professional men's and women's 15-a-side leagues, a national sevens program will be set up, the two said in separate statements.

The money will be spent over 10 years.

But rugby - known as 'olive ball' in China - is far from popular in the world's most populous country.

Fewer than 80,000 Chinese play the sport and it is far less popular among spectators than soccer or basketball.

World Rugby, the sport's international governing body, would not specify the size of the league, or when it will launch.

Zhang Dazhong, chief executive of Alibaba's sporting arm Alisports, said the game had "undoubted potential" to become a "mass-participation sport" in China.

The two bodies plan to cultivate one million new players through school programs and train 30,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials over the next five years, according to the statements.

"We will work tirelessly to promote the development of rugby in China," Zhang said.

China's national rugby captain Ma Chong welcomed the investment. "As an athlete, I finally see hope for this sport," he said.

Ma, 24, earns just over 3,000 yuan (less than $500) a month playing for the Shandong provincial side.

"To be honest, until now I haven't thought that I could support my family playing rugby. But with a professional league, I can actually make it a profession without burdening my family too much," he said.

"I really enjoy rugby, it brings me a joy that nothing else can."

More than money

Xu Yaojun, president of amateur club Guangzhou Longhua, cautioned that more than money will be needed to guarantee success of a professional circuit.

"This investment is definitely good news," he said. "But money is only part of what is needed to develop the game. The whole social system in China, including the education system, has to be involved."

The announcement comes after Alibaba unveiled a partnership with World Rugby to increase the game's visibility through its internet video platforms in April, when World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper indicated China has ambitions to host the Rugby World Cup.

Gosper said on Wednesday that World Rugby's "strategic mission is to grow the global rugby family ... and China is central to that mission".

Many firms in China are investing in sports, anticipating a massive growth in leisure industries as China's economy rebalances towards consumption.

Rugby has increased its profile in Asia thanks to its inclusion in this year's Olympics and the upcoming 2019 World Cup in Japan, as well as the growing world sevens series.

Alibaba has obtained the 2016-17 broadcasting rights to show international matches, including the southern hemisphere's Rugby Championship and Europe's Six Nations on its online video platform.

The Hangzhou-based company is investing heavily in the sports industry and has a 38 percent stake in the reigning Chinese soccer champion, Guangzhou Evergrande.

Alisports has also signed deals to stream NFL American football in China and sponsor FIFA's Club World Cup. It has other partnerships with world amateur boxing body AIBA and basketball's FIBA.

(China Daily 10/29/2016 page8)