Olympic visibility alone means little. Execution is everything

At the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Li Ning and Anta both outfitted national teams on the global stage — two Chinese sportswear brands sharing an identical spotlight. Yet, their international trajectories reveal a stark divide in execution. Li Ning’s sales outside China amounted to just 250 million RMB ($36 million) in the first half of 2025, 1.7% of its total revenue — unchanged from the previous year despite the company’s stated strategy to “achieve a breakthrough abroad.” Over the same period, Anta brand’s overseas revenue surged by over 150% year-on-year, driven by aggressive expansion in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S. The journey from Olympic visibility to global market penetration is not a downhill sprint — it’s a grueling cross-country race. And Anta appears to have found a faster route. Why storytelling without scale falls short Asian sportswear labels have increasingly mastered the art of cultural storytelling — leveraging heritage, tradition, and national identity to compete with Western giants like Nike and Adidas. But as the Li Ning-Anta contrast demonstrates, compelling narrative alone is insufficient. Translating that story into international distribution networks, localized marketing campaigns, consumer trust, and sustained sales growth in Western markets requires aggressive execution. Securing a place on the Olympic stage may be a crucial first step, but converting that visibility into lasting global market share demands strategic investments that many Asian brands have yet to make. The strategic emphasis on cultural storytelling has become central to how Asian brands position themselves against established Western competitors. According to Moqian Sun, founder of The Harvest marketing consultancy, brands including Li-Ning and Anta are using high-profile platforms like the Olympics to execute a deliberate brand transformation — pivoting from purely performance-focused manufacturers to fashion-forward, premium lifestyle labels. This involves integrating traditional cultural motifs with contemporary, runway-ready aesthetics into official team kits, while simultaneously highlighting proprietary athletic technology to validate premium claims and strategically aligning these moments with high-fashion collaborations. Turning symbolism into strategy “By weaving together cultural heritage, technical innovation, and high-fashion appeal, they are fundamentally rebranding, transforming into sophisticated, desirable global contenders,” Sun says. According to Franka Soeria, founder of the Jakarta-based fashion consultancy Markamarie, leveraging cultural heritage is a primary factor in competing with the deep-seated narratives of legacy brands including Nike and Adidas. While these Western titans have built their identities on decades of athletic history and emotional resonance, Asian brands must similarly cultivate their own authentic, heritage-driven emotional connection to justify premium positioning and foster lasting consumer loyalty. This cultural blueprint is being written across the region: Li-Ning championing Chinese identity through national symbolism, Asics drawing authority from its deep Japanese heritage of innovation, India’s HRX mobilizing the energy of local celebrities and a collective national vibe, while Indonesia's Eiger roots its brand in a narrative of homegrown adventure and discovery. “This approach works to a degree, but without a deeply rooted global perception that the brand itself means something, most remain confined to the affordable segment. Perception is everything, so if you aren’t seen as innovative, premium, or authentically cool, you’re waging an uphill battle regardless of the product's quality,” Soeria says. Western brands out-localize Asian labels Yet this global appetite for fresh cultural narratives is precisely what Western titans are already mastering. Adidas ignited a phenomenon with its Tang Dynasty-inspired Chinese New Year jacket, while its “Island Series” in Indonesia, highlighting Bali and Sumatra, strategically converts national pride into collectible demand. Nike has similarly replicated this formula with dedicated collections for Japan and South Korea. The definitive power of cultural storytelling in design was exemplified by Adidas's "China Edition," where a jacket inspired by Tang Dynasty dress evolved from a regional release into a globally sought-after phenomenon, with its manufactured scarcity intensifying its exclusivity and appeal across international markets. Their success emphasizes a potent reality: superior branding and marketing allow these established giants to not only enter but capitalize on cultural spaces, often outpacing the regional brands that originate them. The paradox deepens when examining actual market penetration. According to Reiting Lee, founder of The Oriental Hybrid, a consulting agency bridging East Asian and Middle Eastern markets, Asian sportswear labels lag in high-impact global sponsorships, have fewer international distribution channels — both retail outlets and e-commerce outside of China — and lower investment in R&D and long-term strategy. The visibility illusion — from Riyadh to reality The visibility gap is stark: Li-Ning’s logo appeared on the Saudi team uniform at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and Anta Sports has a branch on a popular street in Riyadh, yet many Saudis still don't know these Chinese brands, Lee says. Meanwhile, Adidas demonstrates tremendous skill in localization — launching Chinese New Year collections, collaborating with Saudi designer brand Kaf by Kaf on a sports abaya, and creating the Japan H Lamia shoes inspired by Sadu weaves in Saudi Arabia. Western brands are effectively out-localizing Asian brands in Asian markets themselves. “Brand heritage and consumer perception determine the global competitiveness of Asian sportswear labels. Long-standing brand heritage conveys reliability, fosters loyalty, and conveys cultural significance. Asian brands face skepticism in authenticity and challenge in premium market penetration, especially Chinese brands,” Lee says. “Participating in the Winter or Summer Olympics isn't enough to make Asian brands close the gap with Western competitors. Brands need to invest further into stronger marketing campaigns across regions, product collaboration with targeted market talents, and becoming global trendsetters.” Anta's dramatic growth illustrates what aggressive execution looks like in practice. As of June 2025, the Anta brand operated 224 stores outside mainland China and plans to open 1,000 new stores in Southeast Asia over the next three years. The company has established a regional headquarters in Singapore, opened a flagship store in Beverly Hills, and signed NBA star Kyrie Irving to boost its profile in North America. Rather than simply exporting products, Anta prioritizes a localized approach focused on community engagement and local sports development, supported by a direct-to-consumer model that ensures operational efficiency. Li-Ning is pursuing its own international expansion strategy — a 2024 joint venture with HongShan (formerly Sequoia China) to strengthen overseas operations, acquisition of a Hong Kong building for expansion purposes, and stated focus on Europe and North America. Yet these partnership-driven moves have not translated into measurable revenue growth. The contrast reveals a crucial distinction: having an expansion strategy is not the same as executing it. Anta backed its Olympic visibility with substantial infrastructure investment — physical retail networks, regional headquarters, celebrity endorsements, and localized marketing campaigns at scale. Li-Ning announced partnerships and acquisitions. The results speak for themselves: 150% overseas revenue growth versus 1.7%. What aggressive execution looks like Beyond direct retail expansion, some Asian brands are pursuing alternative routes to global credibility. Anta recently announced a 1.5 billion euros deal to acquire a 29% stake in German sportswear giant Puma, following its landmark 2019 appointment as an official sportswear supplier to the International Olympic Committee. Meanwhile, Bosideng appointed globally renowned designer Kim Jones as its creative director, signaling a deep commitment to high-fashion legitimacy through imported luxury expertise. “European validation has become the critical catalyst,” Sun says. “By securing a major Olympic partnership or a coveted runway slot at Milan Fashion Week, Asian brands can instantly shatter entrenched perceptions, gain decisive industry endorsement, and build vital credibility with global consumers. This recognition is not merely symbolic — it is the essential springboard for a successful ascent into the premium market.” New credibility tests To command higher price points and prestige, Asian sportswear brands are launching exclusive high-end lines, forging partnerships with acclaimed designers, and securing coveted slots on the runways of major fashion weeks. An appearance at Milan Fashion Week acts as a definitive stamp of credibility, instantly opening doors to influential global buyers and media. While the goal of premium elevation is shared, the tactical approaches differ sharply. Li-Ning has cultivated a sports-fashion crossover deeply rooted in its own legacy as an Olympic champion's brand, Sun says. Bosideng, on the other hand, executed a fast-track upmarket move by directly recruiting top-tier luxury expertise, appointing former Dior designer Kim Jones as its creative director. “One builds from within its athletic DNA, meanwhile the other imports high-fashion credibility. Both strategies, however, converge on the same objective: radically elevating brand perception and commanding higher market value,” she adds. Getting the equilibrium right Sun argues that the central challenge lies in strategic equilibrium. Success demands that luxury aesthetics be authentically built upon a foundation of superior athletic functionality, forging a powerful and credible brand narrative. The risk emerges when this balance is lost—if fashion expression overshadows professional performance, a brand risks diluting the core sports identity that underpins its credibility. As Anta's 150% overseas revenue growth demonstrates, Asian brands that combine cultural storytelling with aggressive localization, physical retail infrastructure, and sustained regional investment can break through. Those that rely on Olympic visibility and partnership announcements alone will remain stuck at the starting line.

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Olympic visibility alone means little. Execution is everything