Il gruppo cinese Dalian Wanda Group ha acquistato il circuito di gare Ironman, un affare sportivo ma anche economico. L'uomo più ricco della Cina, Wang Jianlin ha speso ben 650 milioni di dollari per i diritti organizzativi dell World Triathlon Corporation, società che gestisce 200 gare di triathlon in tutto il mondo.
Le gare Ironman sono cresciute anno dopo anno, soltanto 100 cinesi circa hanno partecipato a gare Ironman, ma si stima che nel 2025 gli atleti amatori passeranno a 200.000.
Ironman non è solo un grande marchio, è anche un grande business sempre in crescita. Il triathlon è un settore che si adatta alla perfezione ai trend di salute, benessere e crescita personale, ed è per questo che moltissima gente vuole a tutti costi diventare Ironman.
Triathlons are on the cusp of explosion in China, with a bright future ahead. A large proportion of triathlons in Europe and America are comprised of middle-class participants that are around 35 to 40 years old. As China enters the ranks of middle income countries, people are paying increasing attention to physical fitness and spiritual fulfilment, and triathlon's unique charm and challenge is set to attract a large number of people. According to senior sports circles, China has millions of cyclists and tens of millions of runners, so the potential for triathlon participation is huge.
Triathlons also provide additional benefits to participating cities. Compared with marathons, triathlons are longer and more complicated, but can also be more appreciated, and can better present more of the host city, which helps to promote tourism. Statistics show that for a small triathlon with 1,000 participants, there are on average three friends or family members that come to support each participant. People are likely to stay for around four days and three nights, which translates into 5,000 hotel rooms being used in the host city. A triathlon brand owned by Wanda will become a much sought after event for Chinese cities.
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