Frisbee, Flag Football, and Cycling, Niche Sports Go Viral in China

Chongqing - "Meet you at the football field in the Olympic Sports Park at 8 pm tonight. Be there or be square." After receiving the message from his teammate on the morning of July 2, Wang Keran, a resident living in Chongqing, Southwest China, began to pack up his gear and prepare for the frisbee competition that evening.

Wang was enamored with frisbees immediately after seeing the sport. He not only joined a frisbee club but also bought special gear.

Wang is just one of the sports enthusiasts of so-called niche sports in Chongqing. Recently, there has been a lively interest in those sports which were previously limited to a particular group of people, such as frisbee, flag football, paddle boarding, and cycling.

A scene at the frisbee competition. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Number of enthusiasts growing fast

In Jiangyucheng Sports Park on the same day, Zhang Shandong, founder of Chongqing Sunset Frisbee Club, was preparing for the ultimate competition in the evening, which attracted more than ten frisbee enthusiasts from all over Chongqing.

The frisbee originated in the United States in the 1940s and developed into various disciplines such as ultimate and freestyle. Ultimate, popular in China, is a non-contact team game played by 14 players who fling a frisbee across the field, scoring points by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone.

Zhang, a veteran frisbee enthusiast, got into the sport in university. "For a long time, frisbee was a niche sport. It was hard to find like-minded frisbee enthusiasts and a suitable venue," Zhang said.

To his surprise, that changed at the beginning of this year, especially after March. "At that time, many people asked me how to play frisbee, and I received invitations to many competitions," said Zhang. 

Xian Wen, the founder of the Wudu Frisbee Club, shared a similar experience. "The club's members have grown from 13 to more than 2,300. Every week, we organize 10-12 events at venues in all the districts of downtown Chongqing. Initially, we only had two or three. Now, the number of participants allowed is far less than those who want to play. It often takes only one hour for those participants allowed to register," Xian said.

In addition, flag football has gone viral recently. Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end a down.

Zhang Shuangyi, head of Chongqing Ranger Football Club, is a senior game fan. "Flag football was introduced to Chongqing many years ago. The sport didn't have a strong amateur following until early this year. Thanks to social platforms, it gained quick popularity." Zhang said that many ordinary people are interested in flag football.

Moreover, niche sports such as paddle boarding and cycling have recently shown sound growth momentum. At sports shops, enthusiasts have snapped up gear for those sports.

Chongqing residents enjoy the sports game. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Vital social attributes and low threshold

Why do those previously niche sports enjoy growing popularity? Essential contributors include its vital social attributes and low qualifications for participation, according to the industry insiders, participants, and venue operators of those sports.

"This year, the COVID-19 pandemic deters people from embarking on a long journey. However, people still aspire for outdoor activities." Guo Chun, a local fitness specialist, said that outdoor sports like frisbees and flag football satisfy the demand of people because they have no high requirements on venues and need no solid physical confrontation.

Besides, promotion in variety shows has contributed to the sudden popularity of those sports. "For example, in such variety shows as Divas Hit the Road and ROCK & ROAST, many stars shared the joy brought by frisbee or flag football. Their recommendations made those sports instantly popular," said Zhang Shandong.

"The socializing feature is one of the contributing factors in the increasing popularity of such sports as frisbee, flag football, and paddle boarding," Zhang added, "especially the former two sports need the cooperation of the participants to score a point or prevent the opponent team from doing so." To this end, the team members must take the initiative to interact, collaborate and play their roles in the game.

Wang Keran feels the same way. He has made a lot of friends while participating in frisbee competitions. "Frisbee and flag football feature no physical confrontation. When a dispute occurs, the players will try to find a solution in a patient and objective manner," said Wang Keran.

People are eager for offline social interaction

Ultimate frisbee, as an emerging sport, was listed among compulsory education courses in the Notice on Curriculum Plan and Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition), recently issued by the Ministry of Education, the People's Republic of China. On July 23, the first "Western Bowl" flag football invitational tournament will be held in Chengdu. The event will involve 11 teams from Guizhou, Henan, Hebei, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, and other places.

Those measures reflect the booming of such niche sports as frisbee and flag football. How will Chongqing take this opportunity to facilitate the industrial chain of such sports?

"Such niche sports as frisbee and flag football attract a growing number of enthusiasts, evidencing the flourishing status of mass fitness in Chongqing." Huang Xiaoling, Dean of School of Physical Education, Southwest University, said that Chongqing would roll out relevant regulations on the operation and development of clubs and establish a system of coaches' level assessment and competition certification to protect the rights and interests of sports organizers and participants.

"The inclusion of frisbee in the Notice on Curriculum Plan and Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition) provides another opportunity for developing those niche sports." Huang continued that Chongqing may strengthen cooperation with schools to boost the development of such niche sports as frisbee and flag football. "Yunchuang Middle School, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area launched a course on frisbees in September 2021, a good example of such efforts. It is hoped that more Chongqing-based universities will offer courses on such niche sports and organize competitions within their university or among local universities."

"Camping gained sudden popularity at the beginning of this year, and niche sports, including frisbee, flag football, paddle boarding, and cycling, are going viral. The phenomena show that people are eager for offline social interaction, and mass sports will usher in a boom." Guo Chun said that relevant organizers should step up community operations to foster a good atmosphere for participation in competitions and create more original competitions and thematic lectures to train more veteran fans and expand the influence of those niche sports.

(Tan Sirui, as an intern, has contributed to the report)