Athletes become TV stars, but may lose standing

As more Chinese athletes become household names, sports stars are cashing in on their celebrity status by signing up for reality TV shows. Yet playing the fame game can come at a price.

With no major sporting events scheduled in 2017, the demand for sports-themed variety programs, which flourished in China last year thanks to the attention around the 2016 Rio Olympics, remains high in entertainment circles.

KonneXions Media, which produced the hit show Beat the Champions, aired the opening episode of the second season on Zhejiang Satellite TV on Sunday after securing more than 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) last month in financing from equity funds to shoot the new season.