China has 30 million rugby fans – No.1 in the world alongside the USA, says World Rugby
That figure could explode if their women win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, says top official Brett Gosper
China is among the world’s top countries when it comes to the popularity of rugby union with a fanbase of around 30 million, World Rugby said – and that figure could explode if the women’s sevens team win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Brett Gosper, CEO of the global governing body, said China and the United States lead the way in terms of rugby fanbase, both with 30 million people either interested or very interested in the game. There is also a strong following in India and Japan.
“It’s interesting to know that the largest number of fans in any single market is actually China, with 30 million rugby fans that we consider interested and very interested in rugby,” said Gosper during the Hong Kong Sevens week. “There are 30 million in the USA, 25 million in India and 15 million in Japan.
“We measure this through research and so on. It’s a good indicator, obviously it is not a precise tool but it gives an indication of emerging markets for us.
“And all of those markets are in certainly a fan growth phase and we’re seeing high participation growth, which is 8.5 million. This is double since 2009, so the sport is in a pretty healthy state.”
The Chinese women surprised everyone at the Hong Kong Sevens last week when they won the women’s World Series Qualifier competition, beating a strong South Africa in the final.