Opinion | CrossFit’s China invasion accelerates as middle class clamours for fitness identities and social status
- The first Chinese Sanctional exemplifies how hot the high-end world of fitness is right now
- The branded workout regime and sport has taken off in the country for a number of reasons
The sport’s allure to educated, gainfully employed young Chinese men and women was on full display last weekend at Luwan Gymnasium in downtown Shanghai.
Fans showed up in droves to get selfies with American Rich Froning, Canadian Brent Fikowski and pretty much anyone who was competing. Clothing, gear, shoes, protein powder, even craft beer was on sale, as the CrossFit world, which had up until that point been a distant allure to China, suddenly became very real.
Everyone has a thing – yoga, trail running, spin cycle, dance studios – we are becoming defined by our gym and subsequent branding. Lululemon for yoga, New Balance for running and Reebok for CrossFit.
There’s a reason events like Tough Mudder give out dry-fit T-shirts to competitors upon completion: free marketing.
