Sportswear: new must-have for rich Chinese

GPS sport watches, compression leggings and hydration packs are the new must-haves for wealthy Chinese, pumping up the multi-billion dollar sportswear industry at a time when China's elite are reining in spending on more traditional luxury brands.

在中国精英群体紧缩在传统奢侈品上的开支之际，GPS运动手表、紧身裤和水袋背包成为中国富人们新的必备品，这刺激了规模达数十亿美元的运动服装产业。

Extreme sports apparel and expensive active wear is in vogue thanks in part to government promotion of sport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the purchase of the Ironman brand by China's richest tycoon last year.

极限运动服装和昂贵的运动服正在流行，这部分要归功于中国政府在2022年冬奥会之前推广运动，以及去年中国亿万富豪王健林收购世界铁人公司。

The market is also forecast to grow with the government's decision to relax its one-child policy after 36 years, and companies like U.S.-listed Under Armour and Canada's Lululemon Athletica Inc are lining up to cash in.

中国在实施了36年独生子女政策之后全面放开二胎，这预计也将推动运动服装市场的增长，美国上市的安德玛和加拿大的露露柠檬也在准备挖掘其中的商机。

"It is huge – that wellness and healthy lifestyle opportunity in the whole of China," said Colin Grant, chief executive of the Hong Kong-headquartered Pure Group, an operator of gyms, yoga, retail and nutrition businesses across Asia.

"整个中国有关健康和健康生活方式的商机巨大，"总部位于香港的Pure Group首席执行官Colin Grant表示。Pure Group在亚洲开展的业务涵盖健身馆、瑜伽、零售和营养品。

"Luxury has its challenges but active wear is a bright spot in the industry. Some people wear it to weddings in China."

"奢侈品遭遇了挑战，但运动服装是行业亮点。中国有些人穿着运动服参加婚礼。"

China will host its first ever Ironman events this year after billionaire property developer Wang Jianlin bought World Triathlon Corp for $650 million. The deal is set to capitalize on a growing fitness craze which saw 134 marathon and road-running races held across the country last year, up 160 percent from 2014, according to the Chinese Athletic Association.

大连万达集团去年斥资6.5亿美元收购世界铁人公司，这笔交易意在挖掘中国逐渐升温的运动健身潮流带来的机遇。据中国田径协会，去年中国举办了134场马拉松和公路跑步比赛，较2014年同比增加160%。

As part of its promotion of sport and healthier living generally, the government says that by 2025, more than 900,000 stadiums and gyms will have been built across the country.

中国政府称，作为推广全民运动和更健康生活方式的一部分，到2025年中国将建成逾90万所运动场馆和健身馆。

For Under Armour and Lululemon Athletica, two of the Western brands already active in China, the country offers an opportunity to grow outside the mature markets of the United States and Europe.

对于安德玛和露露柠檬这两个已经活跃在中国的西方品牌来说，中国提供了在美国和欧洲成熟市场之外成长的机会。

No. 2 U.S. sportswear maker Under Armour expects China sales to leap 25 percent a year until 2018, while Vancouver-based yogawear giant Lululemon says its first Hong Kong store is on track to make $8 million in sales this year. But they face a strong field of Chinese rivals such as ANTA, Xtep and 361 Degrees whose share prices soared between 34 percent and 56 percent last year.

美国第二大体育用品制造商安德玛预计，到2018年其在华销售将每年增加25%；而总部位于温哥华的瑜伽服装巨头露露柠檬称，其首家香港门店今年将有望录得800万美元的销售额。但他们面临中国众多体育品牌的激烈竞争，譬如安踏、特步和361度，这些中国企业去年股价飙升幅度介于34-56%。

Some of the money once spent on French wine and Italian leather now appears to be flowing into high-end heart-rate monitors and running shoes.

以前用于法国葡萄酒和意大利皮革产品的一些开支似乎流向了高端心脏速率监测器和跑鞋。

China's sportswear market will surpass the luxury goods market by 2020, according to Euromonitor, with double-digit growth each year to 280.8 billion yuan ($43.10 billion) compared with luxury's single digit growth to 192.4 billion yuan in the same period. Europe's sportswear market, by comparison, would be worth $64 billion by 2020, it says.

据市场研究公司Euromonitor，到2020年中国的运动服装市场将超过奢侈品市场，每年将有两位数增长至2808亿元，同期奢侈品市场每年仅有个位数增长，至1924亿元。Euromonitor称，相比之下，欧洲的运动服装市场规模到2020年将达640亿美元。

And China's market is only just starting to flex its muscles. The sports sector contributes 0.67 percent of China's total gross domestic product, compared with 2.2 percent in the European Union and 3.5 percent in the United States, according to Oriental Patron Research.

中国的运动服装市场不过刚开始施展拳脚而已。据Oriental Patron Research，运动产业对中国整体GDP的贡献为0.67%，而欧盟与美国的该比例分别为2.2%与3.5%。