On October 25th, Ali Sports and the Chinese Rugby Football Association (CRFA) reached an exclusive strategic cooperation. Ali won the development and operational rights for the Chinese national team and competitions it takes part in. As well as the 15 man game, it plans to set up a 7-a-side league for rugby teams in China. In collaboration with World Rugby, Ali Sports and the CRFA will launch the C1M (China 1 Million) Programme, investing one hundred million dollars in nurturing one million rugby players over five years.
On April 10th, Ali signed a contract with World Rugby in Hong Kong Stadium, announcing that they would cooperate, for at least the next 10 years, to develop the Chinese rugby market together. It indicated that Ali was determined to promote rugby in China. Zhang Zhong, CEO of Ali Sports, said, “We hope that more Chinese sports fans fall in love with rugby, especially children. We encourage young people not to be afraid of collisions and enjoy the teamwork, which is an essential part of the game of rugby.”
The cooperation with CRFA is another big event following the signing of the contract with World Rugby. In the future, Ali sports will host almost all events in the Chinese rugby market, from national events to professional events, which will promote the professionalism and marketization of Chinese rugby. On a deeper level, along with World E-sports Games (WESG) and World Online Running Alliance (WORA), China’s 15-man rugby competition will become Ali’s third intellectual property in sports events.
Proofread by Sean O Diobhilin