‍‍It is widely believed that the most shining star in Chinese track and field, Liu Xiang, is going to announce retirement today. The reason that he did not retire earlier is believed to be his unfinished contracts with sponsors, who at the same time brought him large amount of money. 

At the 2012 London Olympic Games where he went back to race after a period of break, he had sponsorships from 17 big brands. The total amount of money was 1 billion yuan. If he announced to retire back then, it means that fines for violating contracts could be as much as three times of the money, which would be 3 billion yuan. This money would be paid by his governing body, the Athletics Management Centre of General Administration of State of China. Therefore, he has been unable to retire during these years. 

How much money did Liu Xiang make in the past decade?

According to Forbes, Liu earned RMB535 million from 2003 to 2014. (The amount includes money earned from ads, games, publishing and other areas, and doesn’t exclude money given to agency or governing bodies.)

In 2003, Liu Xiang earned 1.6 million yuan a year, and ranked 92nd on the Chinese celebrity list. The income mainly came from endorsements of Nike and Coca Cola. 

In 2004, Liu won the 110 m hurdle race at Athens Olympic Games, and became famous. His yearly income surged to 23 million yuan, ranking 5th on the Chinese celebrity list. His yearly income continued to rise and reached 25 million yuan and 58 million yuan afterwards as he achieved more. 

In 2007, his “business” reached the highest point. Before Beijing Olympic Games, he signed 14 endorsements, and his income multiplied nearly three times to 160 million yuan, ranking 3rd on the celebrity list. 

In 2008, when he gave up during the match at Beijing Olympic Games, he still earned 130 million yuan because of previous endorsement agreements, ranking the second on the list. 

In 2009, his income decreased by a half to 64.6 million yuan, and the income in 2010 was 18.25 million yuan, ranking 73rd. In 2011, his income increased slightly because of anticipation of the London Olympics. In 2013 his name disappeared from the list. 

Source: NetEase