The ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup concluded on Sunday night after attracting thousands of Chinese table tennis fans to splash their cash in Macau, all for the love of superstars such as Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.
Olympic mixed doubles champions Wang and Sun have amassed a feverish following, particularly among young female spectators, who are willing spend large sums to watch their idols at a time when the country’s central government looks to capitalise on consumer spending on sport.
Last week, Beijing rolled out supportive measures for the sports industry amid growing public enthusiasm. The Post witnessed how mainland Chinese visiting Macau loosened their purse strings during an event that ended with Sun beating compatriot Kuai Man 4-0 in Sunday’s women’s final before Brazil’s Hugo Calderano defeated China’s Lin Shidong 4-1 in the men’s.
The overwhelming majority of attendees at the week-long World Cup were mainland women, with the largest number aged about 18 to 30.
Li Shuran, 27, who works in healthcare, travelled from Guangzhou by herself for her birthday on Friday. Despite staying only a day in the gambling hub, she said she spent about 5,000 yuan (US$685) on her ticket, travel, souvenirs, and food and drink.
