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China has announced plans for the 14th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development and the Vision for the Year 2035. By 2035, the country is aiming to accelerate the development of the sports industry.

As part of the plan, one of the major efforts towards reaching that goal is the digitalization of traditional sports. This will require the support of technologies and other industries such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things.

The argument for this is that digitalization has already entered all aspects of society. China also boasts the world's largest online consumer market and leading digital network technology.

In addition, digital technology is already currently used in many sports industries. For example, digital tech helps the fitness industry with more accurate details of human movement and fitness advice can now be easily obtainable via the Internet (instead of having to hire fitness trainers). This truly embraces the ‘world without borders’ concept, where everyone is able to access virtually anything from all around the world. 

In the near future, the digital infrastructure will only continue to improve, providing even better support for the digitalization of sports. The esports industry in China is also experiencing major growth, including increasing funding and support by both the government and private companies. Hence, the move to 'digitize' traditional sports could not have happened at a better time.

The digitalization of traditional sports and the growth of the esports industry can go hand-in-hand in China. Recently, esports have discovered ways of resuming events and competitions amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional sports can do the same if they continue to embrace digital technology and incorporate more smart tech in the industry. 

On top of that, the move of traditional sports to take a more modern approach when it comes to management and operation presents so much potential for both traditional and the esports industry. In more recent times, team-oriented sports have implemented the usage of sports science and in-depth statistics such as average player positioning, distance covered, passing efficiency and output rates that can be presented in a much more concise and precise manner. This statistics and data driven approach is very synonymous and common in esports with this approach of digitizing traditional sports, closing the gap between both sectors. 

Commenting on this development, AESF President, Mr Kenneth Fok said “Over the years, we have been working closely with our counterparts from the traditional sports sector. This move by one of the world’s largest sporting countries - China - is definitely a welcomed approach as it not only improves traditional sports in all levels, it also closes the gap with esports. The gap now is smaller than ever allowing almost seamless transition and share of skill, knowledge and experience.”  

With the constant improvement and technology being much more affordable as we move forward into the future, there is no limit to how this move will benefit all parties involved in the Esports Ecosystem. This synergy allows esports to co-opt the strategies and methods practiced by traditional sports and with that, improve in so many areas. A symbiotic relationship that is a win-win situation for all parties involved, we look forward to further developments in many years to come. 

For more information on China’s Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Vision Campaign please visit: http://www.sport.gov.cn/n319/n4832/c975195/content.html