Adidas Pledges to Make Shanghai Top Emotional Vitality City

Adidas has vowed continuous support for sports initiatives and infrastructure in Shanghai as it sees increasing ties with the city and more potential in the local sports scene.

Adidas CEO Bjoern Gulden said the German sportswear giant is looking to deepen its long-term engagement with local sports communities and the broader public in China.

Gulden attended the annual International Business Leaders' Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC) for the third consecutive year over the weekend.

Adidas submitted recommendations during this year's council meeting regarding how Shanghai can become a leading emotional vitality city.

"The local government has been very open and very interested in taking experience from the rest of the world. During the council meeting, we had very lively and optimistic and positive brainstorming about things that could make sports easier and make Shanghai even more attractive for people than it is today," he said.

As the city's sports economy has evolved from material consumption to experiential participation, and now toward emotional fulfillment, it calls for a new model of urban development that converts positive emotions into consumption growth, community vitality, cultural confidence and sustainable competitiveness.

In the previous two years, as part of the company's commitment to supporting Shanghai in becoming a world-famous sports city, Adidas also offered recommendations on how sports can play a role to drive consumption, improve public health and promote culture.

The German firm aims to support Shanghai in developing into a global emotional vitality city through co-development of implementation programs, global network activation, and participation ecosystem development.

The company will soon put into use its new China headquarters at the West Bund in Xuhui District.

It will transform existing sports spaces at the West Bund and develop a new Adidas Sports Park, offering facilities for running, training, basketball, skateboarding, table tennis and more. The park will be open to the public and provide diverse sporting experiences and enrich the daily lives of residents.

Gulden and his delegation also visited Fudan University in early October, where they reached an agreement with the university to deepen cooperation on campus sports, talent development, sports culture and sports technology research.

A special university sports fund by the company will be allocated to add new water sports facilities, multi-purpose sports center and running trails on campus.

He also spoke highly about China's recently released 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for building China into a global sporting powerhouse. "Promoting school sport and having more infrastructures so that children can do sports is the basis for becoming good at sports," Gulden noted.

"I sense a commitment to sports everywhere in China, and we will of course support it because it's in our interest and sport is fun and the more people do it, the more happy we will get."