Talking Olympics and Winter Sports with China Sports Insider Founder Mark Dreyer

As the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics continue, we decided to get some inside information from one of our favorite sports analysts, Mark Dreyer, founder of China Sports Insider. Mark is originally from the UK, but has been in Beijing since 2007.

Mark’s sports knowledge is sought after by different media outlets all over the world, often being called on to comment on sports in China by the likes of Bloomberg, CCTV, Financial Times, CNBC, and the BBC. His sports reporting repertoire is elite to say the least, and he has interviewed some of the best from around the world, including Beckham, Pele, and many others.

Besides having recently penned a book on China's quest for sports supremacy, Mark witnessed Beijing’s first Olympics in 2008, and we are excited to share some of his expert knowledge, predictions, and thoughts about this year’s Olympics and the overall rise of sports in Beijing and all around China.

What first brought you to China? 
I first came to China at the very end of 2007. I was living in New York at the time, working for Fox Sports and my wife was setting up a company that was partly based in US and partly based in China. The Olympics were coming up on my horizon so we just thought, "Hey let's go for a year. What's the worst that can happen?" 15 years later, we’re still here.

Tell us your thoughts about the evolution of sports since you first came to China.
There have been three main waves of growth. After the Olympics in 2008, there was a bit of downturn. But in 2014, the government released a policy document detailing plans to develop the largest sports industry in the world and that really turned things around.

The first wave was soccer 2015; we had a big 50-point plan which to be honest they've struggled to put into action but they've tried and we've seen kind of a boom – and now bust – in certain areas.

The second wave was in winter sports, because Beijing won the 2022 Olympic bid in the summer of 2015, so that turbocharged the winter sports growth engine.

The third wave is what we call mass participation, which was a more organic wave of people getting into sports like running, swimming, fitness, gyms, yoga and all that sort of stuff.

What are some of the differences you see between the 2008 Olympics and this year’s 2022 games?
There is a big difference in scale between summer and winter Olympics, and of course '08 was much more festive because it was outdoors. It’s cliche to say, but 2008 was truly China's coming out party on the world stage and I think it went off fantastically. From the opening ceremony to all the events, everyone was impressed and China was certainly very happy.

This year, the geopolitical temperature is very, very different in China. Covid of course has been a massive challenge for everyone, so mainly people are just trying to get through this one without too many hiccups. As a sports lover, especially of the Olympics, that pains me.

Covid has changed a lot of factors for this year’s Olympics in Beijing. Despite this, what are some of the positive aspects for the city and for China?
What's been really interesting is that the population has really bought into the development of the winter sports industry. China has never had any problems building infrastructure -- ski resorts, ice rinks, and so on -- but you need people to use them, and they have accomplished that. That’s been encouraging to see. It's one thing to have a goal, but it's another thing to put it into action.

As China’s sports insider, can you give us some of your predictions on top medal contenders or athletes to keep an eye on in this Olympics?

Eileen Gu is kind of an obvious one, and besides her recent gold in Big Air freestyle skiing, she’s got two more chances in Half Pipe and Slopestyle.

Also, Sun Jiaxu for Men’s aerials. China has a bunch of contenders, they had I think four people all of whom could have a shot, but this guy has had a great last few weeks. Either way I think China's got a very good chance of winning a medal – possibly gold – in this event.

Nine months ago we were looking at an absolute horror show for the China men's ice hockey team, because it was looking like it was going to be a bunch of young Chinese kids against the NHL All Stars. But what's happened is that China has got approval to recruit “heritage players,” (some North American players who have Chinese descent).

Meanwhile the NHL players pulled out, so I think China’s games against the US and Canada are going to be a lot more competitive. It's going to be a very interesting matchup, especially because China has been playing together all season as a team, and the North Americans are basically coming together for the first time, so they're going to have to gel really quickly. No one was giving China a chance of even scoring a goal, but I think they'll score some goals, that's my prediction!

Are there any other interesting changes in the dynamics of the Chinese Olympic Team?
Historically for winter sports it's been predominantly people from the northeast of the country, people who grew up in the cold areas where skiing and skating was natural to them. China has specifically for these Games implemented a cross-disciplinary recruitment program for selection. So, track and field athletes, long jumpers, long distance runners, rowers, gymnasts, etc. have been reassigned to new sports and being taught new disciplines. So, what that means is you've got athletes from Yunnan province and even some far flung autonomous regions. In the past it was something crazy like about 50 percent was from just the city of Harbin, but that’s changing.

Can you tell us a little bit about your new book?
The book is called Sporting Superpower: An Insider’s View on China’s Quest to Be the Best. It’s about the progress that China has made since 2008 in its quest to build the largest sports industry in the world – both the ups and the downs – and the title really sums it up. There are plenty of personal and insider stories, interviews and some analysis, too. I’m biased, of course, but I think it’s an entertaining read – a perfect read as the Olympics continue or even after they've ended!

What are your predictions about the future of sports in Beijing and China?
I still think the main drivers are, one, the initial push by that government policy, and second, the more organic push from China's population that is seeing more value in sports and in being more active themselves. People today want to get their children more involved in sports and I think that is what makes me truly optimistic about the future of sports here.

Sports is now seen as a legitimate part of the economy. It's not the most important thing on China's radar, but sports is now part of the economy, and one that is keeping the population happier and healthier, so I think in many areas we are still going in the right direction.

In your opinion, what are the top three most significant sports related moments in Beijing /China?
Ok, top three, I will restrict it to my time in China again, so from 2008 until now, in my opinion, number one has to be Li Na winning the 2011 French Open. I think that it was really significant and that really put China on the map in tennis globally.

Number two, I've done a lot of motor racing commentary in my time here, since 2013 being involved in several racing series which have been aired on Fox Sports Asia, in terms of reporting, presenting, and commentating; so I've gotten to know a lot of the drivers. Zhou Guanyu is now in Formula 1 for the first time this year, which is a massively significant moment for China and for motor sports in China. He's a good guy, he’s very polished, he speaks great English, and he's very presentable. I think fans around the world will really like him, and this could revolutionize motor sports in China.

The third one comes from 2017 and it’s an episode I examine closely in the book. China's president was visiting the Olympic sites in Zhangjiakou and was wearing an ANTA branded jacket. It's not often that leaders from any country wear branded clothes, and is certainly not common in China either, but it was hugely significant, because it meant China wasn't just embracing global sports, but was also developing its own sports industry, so that support of a local brand like ANTA was significant. It wouldn't surprise me if we see the President wearing some ANTA clothing in the next few days, along with Team China. It would be a very proud and patriotic moment for many in the country.

READ: And the Big Star of Beijing 2022 is... Bing Dwen Dwen?

Images courtesy of Mark Dreyer