Most Popular Sports in China: Formula One Racing

List of 11 Popular Sports in China

China has proven its excellence in a lot of sports. These are sports that people play for their amusement and also at a professional level. Here’s a list of 11 popular sports played in China....

Facts about the Sports played in China

These sports played by people in China have a certain history associated with them. They have a cultural importance in the modern world as well. Let us learn about them....

Most Popular Sports in China: Table Tennis

It is the most recreational sport in China. In the early 1950s, Chinese leader Mao Zedng declared table tennis as a national sport. Chinese athletes became the strongest in the world within a short period. Deng Yaping won 6 world championships and 4 Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. Ping-pong tables can be found in every school. Kids hone their skills from a young age. The game also doesn’t require a lot of space, which is ideal in a crowded country like China....

Most Popular Sports in China: Basketball

The sport became famous in China in the 2000s, when Yao Ming started playing for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A few Chinese have played in the NBA since then, but none have made an impact like Yao Ming. On the International stage, the Chinese men’s and women’s basketball teams are not very successful. The men’s team didn’t even qualify for the Tokyo 2020/21 Olympics. Many international players come over to China and play in the Chinese Basketball Association....

Most Popular Sports in China: Badminton

It’s a highly accessible sport, only a racket and a shuttlecock are needed. The locals on an amateur level play badminton without a net for physical fitness and fun. The elite players are taken care of by the Chinese government. Providing them with housing, meals, and training helps the country dominate the sport. The greatest badminton player of all time, Lin Dan completed the Grand Slam by the age of 28. He won all nine major badminton tournaments available, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup. He remains the only player to achieve this feat....

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....

Most Popular Sports in China: Running

Running is becoming popular in the big cities. Chinese people began running because of its accessibility. About more than 20 million Chinese are now taking to urban streets and village trails. Unfortunately, 21 ultra-marathon runners died in Gansu province in May 2021 due to poor planning by race officials....

Most Popular Sports in China: Square Dancing

Millions of middle-aged and older women dance to choreographed routines in public parks every night. It’s called square dancing because it happens in a city square or plaza. This is not competitive but it is a great exercise. This became a low-cost form of exercise and entertainment for many women who lost their jobs at state-owned enterprises in the 1990s....

Most Popular Sports in China: Volleyball

The Chinese women’s volleyball team has had a long history of success. They dominated the world stage in the 1980s and won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In 2020, the patriotic film Leap was released. It features famous Chinese actress Gong Li. She plays legendary Chinese volleyball player and coach, Lang Ping....

Most Popular Sports in China: Martial arts

Traditional Chinese martial arts have been in the Chinese culture for thousands of years. Kung Fu is the most well-known and dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (1,111-255 BC). Combined with spirituality, kung fu is a form of exercise and an unarmed mode of personal combat. There are various movements in kung fu, most of which are limitations of the fighting styles of animals like the snake as well as the mystical dragon. Movie icons like Jet Li, Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan, have kept kung fu and other martial arts in the mainstream....

Most Popular Sports in China: Swimming

China wasn’t winning any medals in the Olympic pool a few decades ago. In 2012, Sun Yang became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. However, Yang was recently banned from international competitions for 4 years for cheating. At the local level, China’s middle class can now afford to give their child swimming lessons at the pool....

Most Popular Sports in China: Tennis

International tournaments are held in big cities such as Beijing and Chengdu. Chinese tennis was at its peak in the 2010s when Li Na won the French Open and Australian Open grand slams. While Li Na peaked at world number 2 more than a decade ago, Zhang Zhizhen cracked the top 100 in the men’s competition for the first time in China’s history, at the end of 2022....

Most Popular Sports in China: Formula One Racing

Zhou Guanyu recently became the country’s first-ever full-time driver to compete in the motorsport series, signing with Alfa Romeo in 2022. Now F1 is likely to become a lot more popular since the Chinese have a local hero they can support....

National Sport of China – Table Tennis

Table Tennis originated in England as a parlor game for the upper class and was also known as “Ping Pong”. China hosts major tournaments, such as the China Open and the the World Table Tennis Championships which draw worldwide attention. It’s a popular activity in communities, schools, and parks. Chinese athletes who excel in table tennis often become national heroes and inspire youngsters to excel in the sport....

China’s contribution in the Olympics

China is among one of the top nations in the overall medal count in both the summer and winter olympics. China has a good gold medal count in specific. Let us look into some of the achievements by China in the Olympics....

Conclusion

China is great in the field of sports. They have a diverse sports fanbase, ranging from badminton to F1 racing. China has also produced many exceptional athletes, especially in badminton. Players like Lin Dan have great accomplishments in their specific fields of expertise. Although some sports are not that internationally recognized in China, they still are inclined towards having a good time while playing at the local level. Sports like Square dancing are not even a competitive sport. China also has many Olympic achievements....

FAQs: List of Most Popular Sports in China

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