Sporting chance for producers

Chen Ruolin and Liu Huixia compete in the women's synchronized 10 meter platform diving event at the Rio Games on Tuesday. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese divers have generally continued to live up to their medal winning "dream team" reputation at the Rio Olympics, but do Chinese audiences know where the diving boards under the feet of the divers are made?

According to China's sports officials, these seemingly unimpressive items of sporting equipment are actually high-tech products and so far only one enterprise in the United States can produce them in line with the standards set by the International Swimming Federation.

And it is not just diving boards, the guns, ammunition and other equipment of the target shooters are also monopolized by foreign manufacturers. Badminton is a traditional sport in which China enjoys a great advantage, but most of the badminton rackets and their strings are also manufactured by other countries.

As a result of foreign enterprises dominating the manufacturing of sports equipment at the Olympic Games, the prices of these products have soared.

As the world's largest producer of large-sized sports equipment, the absence of any made-in-China equipment, especially sophisticated equipment, at the Olympics should be food for thought.

The build-up of a country's sports industry is related to whether or not its manufacturers have nurtured the "spirit of craftsmanship", but it is more closely related to its sports education and the grassroots popularity of sports.

One of the reasons why the US enterprise can produce the most advanced diving boards is the popularity of diving in the US, which means that diving boards are in high demand. Only a large sale volume can motivate producers to make continuous inputs into developing diving boards.

China should work out viable policies and provide necessary assistance to sports equipment producers to encourage technological breakthroughs.

Aside from efforts to promote competitive athletes, the country should also popularize mass participation in sports to make sports part of the lifestyle of ordinary people, which will expand the market for sports products and motivate sports equipment manufacturers to present better products.