Sponsors win big after backing Euro 2016

Portugal wasn't the only winner at Euro 2016. This summer's edition of Europe's elite championship was also a victory for its Chinese sponsors, who were backing the tournament for the first time in its 56-year history.

Millions of people watched on TV or online as Cristiano Ronaldo's men beat France 1-0 in the final in Paris on July 10, when several Chinese brands were clearly on show.

Hisense, the home appliance maker, was one of the biggest sponsors of the 51-game event. According to its vice-president, Lin Lan, the company's sales in Europe grew 50 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year, with sales of its TVs up 64 percent.

"It was our wisest decision to invest in Euro 2016," he adds.

Adam Zhang, the founder of Key-Solution Sports Consultancy, says the quadrennial European Championship has become hugely popular in China.

With the government keen to make China a power in world football, corporate majors are making large investments to buy foreign clubs, sponsor local leagues and build academies and training facilities.

Zhang adds that Euro 2016 may have also laid a solid foundation for future growth in sales of Chinese sports goods.

"Many football manufacturers in China have told me orders for small footballs are growing. They are working hard to increase their output this year," he says.

Players wearing Nike's Mercurial football boots - ranked No 1 among all sports footwear brands - scored 35 (more than 50 percent) of the goals at Euro 2016, potentially brightening the brand's image.

Nike has not released any data. However, its Mercurial boots went on sale in China in May, before a ball was kicked in France.

After Germany's 2-0 defeat to France in the semifinals, Nike rival Adidas may have felt a twinge of sadness. For the first time in three decades, the company was not sponsoring one of the teams in the final.

Nike and Adidas have been at war in the $5 billion global football sponsorship market since the 1990s.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 07/22/2016 page29)