by WU Bingcong

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Chinese sportswear brands are using the Games as a platform to reposition themselves, as they seek to shift away from price-led competition at home and reinforce their performance credentials globally.

The most visible player is Li Ning, whose sky-blue down jackets appeared at the opening ceremony and whose red-and-white podium uniforms featured prominently during medal presentations. The exposure stems from its return as official sports apparel partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee for 2025–2028, giving it prime rights at ceremonies and award events — the Games' most widely broadcast moments.

Replica versions of the team apparel are now available through retail channels, underscoring Li Ning's effort to reposition itself as a premium performance brand rather than a mass-market label.

The approach contrasts with that of Anta Sports, which partnered with the Chinese Olympic Committee for 16 years until 2024 but now relies on broader team sponsorship. In Milan, Anta outfits 10 Chinese national teams, including high-profile winter disciplines such as short-track speed skating and speed skating.

The contrast highlights two distinct sponsorship strategies: Li Ning has secured concentrated visibility in ceremonial settings, while Anta maintains sustained exposure across competition venues.

ZHANG Qing, founder of sports consultancy Key Road, told Jiemian News that Chinese brands have maintained a strong presence across recent Olympic cycles, from Beijing 2022 to Paris 2024 and now Milan 2026.

He said sponsoring Olympic teams allows companies to demonstrate design and engineering capability, particularly in winter sports, where apparel must balance insulation, weight and aesthetics. Such exposure, he added, remains one of the most direct ways to reinforce performance credibility in a competitive market.

Chinese players still face stiff competition from global incumbents such as Nike and Adidas, particularly when bidding for elite international teams and athletes. As a result, many have instead turned to Chinese teams or smaller overseas delegations to secure cost-effective visibility.

Beyond the two market leaders, several Chinese brands are using the Games to position themselves in specialist segments, supplying winter sports teams or partnering with international federations such as the International Skating Union.

Peak Sport, for example, has worked with the Association of National Olympic Committees and multiple national Olympic committees, extending its international reach without securing top-tier rights.

While such partnerships increase visibility, analysts caution that long-term gains depend less on logo placement and more on product innovation in defined niches.

Financial terms of Olympic sponsorship agreements are rarely disclosed, though industry participants describe them as significant. Listed Chinese sportswear groups typically carry high marketing expenses, supported by solid margins that help offset such investments.

As growth in China's mass sportswear market slows, winter sports and global events provide a platform to enhance brand perception and test technical capability on an international stage.

The Milan Games therefore highlight not just marketing rivalry, but the broader push by Chinese sportswear companies to compete more directly with established global players.