China's Drive For Sporting Dominance Expands Into Rugby But They Can't Yet Convert Points To Power

The Chinese echelons are turning to rugby union to usher in further awareness and investment in the world's most populous nation, and are using yet another sport to expand China's international prestige and "soft power", through hopeful achievement on the global stage and in Olympic sports.

Bernard Lapasset (L), chairman of World Rugby, Brett Gosper (C), CEO of World Rugby and Dazhong Zhang of Alisports (R) pose for a photo at a press conference after signing a partnership to see developement of rugby in China, on the sidelines of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament on April 10, 2016. / AFP / Isaac LAWRENCE (Photo credit should read ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images)

Seeing as rugby is now an Olympic sport, and holds a pivotal position in Western Europe, parts of the Commonwealth, and Asia, China is choosing to invest its overwhelming resources in a sport that would allow soft power expansion in yet another facet of these regions. In contrast, World Rugby, rugby union's governing body is seeking to grow in new markets, and promote the sport beyond its traditional "comfort zones" in its European and southern hemisphere strongholds. While countries like Brazil, India and Russia are targets of the sports expansion, China has moved quickly to engage with World Rugby, signing a $100m deal that involves a professional league, university programs and grassroots initiatives.


The Chinese authorities are embarking on developing a domestic sports economy in China, and increasing rugby participation from grassroots to elite levels, in conjunction with creating a flourishing sports business sector, will add to China's ambitious plans to generate an $850bn sports economy; an economy twice the size of the current global economy. Of course, investing into rugby would be such a cheap endeavor for the Chinese considering the humility, and lack of extravagance within the sport of rugby, unlike basketball and football.

However, rugby culture is not football culture. It's purer, less corrupt, and has more decency in its fan base. If the Chinese believe that they can buy their way into rugby, and improve quickly through sheer resources, they have miscalculated.

While football's growth in China is national decree and conjoined to China's sports economy agenda of reaching $850bn, twice that of the world, with wealthy Chinese investors being encouraged to invest into the Chinese Super League (CSL), and purchase or buy into European football clubs like Man City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and television, sports marketing firms etc. to learn how to accelerate this growth, rugby has somewhat less gorged institutions. What it has is avid love, cultural solidity within rugby fond nations, and is expanding in the U.S.

Football is being put on the national curriculum, foreign players and managers are being contracted, pitches are being built, fans are encouraged to watch matches and women's football has a particular focus. Rugby is now in the English curriculum books. I've seen it, but they won't enshrine rugby into the national curriculum like football, basketball, tennis and badminton.

Rugby union is seen as a sport with huge potential in Asia, and with Japan set to host the next World Cup in 2019 and rugby an Olympic sport, China sees opportunity for prestige, relevance, and yet another sports platform to use to promote China's reemerging prominence. However, China will struggle against the Far East's rugby power, especially after Japan's strong showing at the 2015 World Cup, yet any opportunity to usurp Japan from this position, will be keenly sought.

So, how will rugby evolve in China?

Just like with President Xi's football initiative for football participation, through schools and infrastructure, a mass-participation initiative for rugby will take place in up to 10,000 universities and schools. Development schemes like this, and plans to recruit 30,000 coaches and 15,000 match officials by 2020, will swiftly shift the perception of rugby as a "niche" sport in China, which it is presently considered as compared with basketball, table tennis or badminton.

Rugby isn't completely alien to China. Hong Kong, where British expats played rugby for decades prior to the U.K. handing over of the territory to China in 1997, has a rugby legacy. It hosts the sevens version of rugby annually for four decades. Now, while Hong Kong does have a separate team - ranking 25th in the world in contrast China at 68th - Hong Kong Rugby Union's chief executive Vern Reid believes they are crucial for developing Chinese rugby. The Chinese armed forces have also played rugby for a number of years, believing rugby develops the skills of strength, teamwork and decision-making.

Already, participation in rugby in China has increased by 40% in the past year to 76,000 players. That is minuscule when you consider the Chinese population, but 40% is a sharp boost. Alisports and the country's rugby football association have agreed that Alisports will invest $100m over the next 10 years to further popularize rugby. Chinese oligarch Jack Ma is essential to this deal, just as he and Wang Jianlin, are essential for the growth of Chinese football. Both men are the crucial funneling point for the Chinese government, through their respective stratified corporations, into European football and the CSL, while being able to dismiss that the Chinese state isn't directly investing.

Alisports is the sports division of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and the money it will be investing will establish the first professional leagues for men and women, and national rugby sevens programs. It will also launch a China-wide marketing program, and broadcast rugby on its television and digital outlets. This is aimed at inspiring one million new players in five years, but what's in this for Alibaba and Alisports?

Sport in China is being ever more intertwined with the entertainment sector, and E-commerce and digital companies like Alibaba need content, and sport delivers content. Alibaba even recently formed a new division, digital entertainment assets, which will have $1.5bn to fund for new projects.

At the end of the day though, does President Xi love rugby like he loves football? No, but regardless of this, China will now expand into the rugby world with a seemingly bottomless pool of players and bringing bags full of coin, all so China attains another avenue of 'soft power' projection.

However, what tournament will China play in to increase their talent?

Will China target rugby players in the best European rugby clubs, and create an alien and unthinkable wage race in rugby?

The sport has remained relatively humble in comparison to football. China will also learn that vast numbers of eager players doesn't translate into a culture of rugby. Unlike football, rugby is a sport of civility, patience, endurance, and tact. To triumph in rugby, China will need to use these traits on the pitch, as well as in their new sports avenue. The Dragon now enters a sport with some civility, a challenge for a nation used to competitive supremacy and societal pressure built around promoting China.
