As interest in sports investing gathers pace in Asia’s financial centres, much of the conversation still revolves around “emerging opportunities”. But the truth is, Asia’s sports business isn’t emerging, it’s already in full swing.

Singapore’s largest lender DBS flagged sports investment as a fast-rising theme earlier this year, driven by streaming, esports, women’s sports and youth leagues, with analytics, ticketing and video gaming among the top beneficiaries.

However, from billion-dollar franchise valuations to vertically integrated apparel giants and region-wide media ecosystems, sport across Asia is no longer a speculative play. It’s a maturing, multi-layered industry where capital, culture and commerce are already deeply entwined. Asia isn’t just riding the global sports wave, it’s reshaping it.

While Asia’s elite globally recognized athletes have become national ambassadors, commercially they’re also the tip of a growing economic spear. The real transformation taking place, however, lies in how institutional capital, commercial infrastructure and strategic intent are positioning Asia as the most dynamic force in global sports.

Infrastructure, strategy

For a recent tangible example take Indonesia, where in Mandalika, Lombok, a world-class MotoGP circuit and integrated tourism zone were built from scratch – and not just for racing, but as a long-term business strategy. Since its 2021 inauguration, the Mandalika International Street Circuit has placed Indonesia firmly on motorsport’s global map. It’s more than a track: it also bundles hospitality, regional branding, transport development and economic spillovers into one commercial entity.

This month, Formula One owner Liberty Media completed its €4.2 billion ( US$4.9 billion ) acquisition of Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP. The deal’s strategic logic leaned heavily on MotoGP’s growing Asian footprint, races in Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia have become key growth engines.

Returns on this bet are both financial and reputational: rising domestic tourism, increased global viewership and a platform for year-round event monetization across the region.

And while Liberty Media is an American entity, Asia already boasts its own powerful sporting business machines.

Homegrown powerhouses

The Indian Premier League ( IPL ) is now valued at over US$15 billion, with media rights for its cricket matches commanding the second-highest per-match fees globally, just behind those of the National Football League in the US. The IPL’s local cricket stars are household names. Its franchises are global brands, and its off-season now powers leagues in South Africa, the US and UAE.

In Japan and South Korea, professional sports – particularly baseball, basketball and volleyball – are deeply integrated into corporate structures. Teams like the SoftBank Hawks, Rakuten Golden Eagles and Samsung Bluefangs are not merely clubs, but strategic business assets, forming part of the owning companies’ broader identity and even corporate social responsibility frameworks.

China, which has recently pulled back from outbound football investments, was, however, an early mover. In 2016, the Wanda Group signed a 15-year top-tier partnership with Fifa, football’s global governing body, securing exclusive rights to all Fifa competitions and activities through 2030. That deal is reportedly worth US$56.57 million annually, according to GlobalData, and remains one of the largest private sponsorships in world football.

Australia and New Zealand, though technically outside Asia, are commercially linked through broadcast, player transfers and regional sponsorships. The Australian Football League, National Rugby League, Super Rugby Pacific and Supercars series generate significant revenue by combining domestic passion with scalable global marketability.

The Australian Open tennis major in Melbourne is often referred to as the “Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific”. The tag stems from the tournament’s efforts to connect with and draw in audiences and players from the Asia-Pacific region, making it a significant “Asian” event.

It’s no surprise then that its biggest commercial partners are Asian. Kia has the largest deal with the Australian Open in terms of annual value, while Chinese distillery Luzhou Laojiao, recently renewed its multi-year deal, extending the partnership through to 2029, with naming rights to the tournament’s 1573 Arena.

Asia, however, is no longer just hosting global sports. It has built its own platforms, monetization models and media ecosystems.

Few examples illustrate this better than One Championship, the Asia-based mixed martial arts platform founded by Chatri Sityodtong. Often described as a tireless evangelist for his brand and himself, he has built One into a full-spectrum sports media business, combining live events, wellness content, athlete storytelling and influencer-driven engagement.

With an estimated personal net worth of over US$350 million, Chatri’s rise mirrors the ascent of One as both a business and cultural force. The company has raised over US$400 million and broadcasts to more than 190 countries. Unlike its Western counterparts, One markets martial arts not just as combat, but as character, anchored in Asian values. This cultural nuance has resonated deeply across Asia, driving engagement and brand loyalty.

Today, One is one of the world’s most-watched sports properties on social media, competing with the US-based National Basketball Association and Ultimate Fighting Championship in engagement metrics across some key platforms.

Asia’s star athletes as economic catalysts

Across the Pacific, Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani is rewriting not just baseball’s record books, but its balance sheets. His jaw-dropping US$700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the richest in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) history at that time, is more than a bet on elite performance. It’s a clear expression of sport as cross-border commerce, unlocking Japanese and wider Asian audiences, merchandise deals and global sponsorship synergies.

Ohtani is among a powerful cohort of highly paid Asian stars – Yu Darvish ( San Diego Padres ), Kodai Senga ( New York Mets ) and Masataka Yoshida ( Boston Red Sox ) – extending Japan’s baseball legacy deep into the commercial heart of US sport. Each carries a fan base, a broadcast market and sponsorship ecosystem that travels with them, offering an unmissable revenue opportunity for MLB franchises.

In English football, South Korea’s Son Heung-min, captain of his national team and a cornerstone at Tottenham Hotspur, has become a global brand backed by endorsements from Gillette, Calvin Klein and others. Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma, starring with Brighton in the English Premier League, adds momentum to this regional rise, serving as a bridge between British football and Japanese consumers.

In table tennis, long dominated by China, the sport’s top players are stepping out of the Olympic bubble and into the commercial spotlight. Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin aren’t now confined to a once-in-four-years TV exposure, they’re now fronting sponsorship campaigns, engaging millions on social media and headlining the World Table Tennis ( WTT ) tour. WTT is evolving the sport into a media and entertainment format with year-round, monetizable events and influencer-style reach.

Manufacturing muscle, brand ownership

Asia’s historic dominance in sporting goods manufacturing remains unchallenged – but the game has now shifted towards brand ownership and intellectual property control.

In Japan, Asics continues to lead in high-performance footwear, generating over US$3.3 billion in revenue in 2023 by blending biomechanics with global design. Yonex, the world’s badminton king, supplies almost every top-ranked player and is expanding in tennis. Mizuno remains strong in golf, baseball and athletics, trusted by Olympians and professionals worldwide.

China’s Anta Sports, long past its original equipment manufacturer roots, now owns Amer Sports, which includes premium global brands like Salomon, Wilson and Arc’teryx. With revenue surpassing US$7 billion in 2024, Anta has emerged as a global sportswear leader.

Li-Ning, founded by China’s legendary gymnast Li Ning, now competes head-on with Nike and Adidas, especially in China’s domestic market. Its mix of performance products and high-fashion collaborations has made it a favourite among Gen Z consumers.

India’s TYKA and Nivia are gaining traction in domestic leagues and making inroads overseas. In South Korea, Fila – which owns global golf brand Titleist – continues to perform strongly in golf and lifestyle, while new D2C brands and K-culture tie-ins are reaching youth markets across Asia and beyond.

Beyond the big names, Asia still manufactures over 90% of the world’s sporting goods. From Sialkot’s Fifa footballs in Pakistan to Vietnam’s sportswear factories, the region equips the world’s games, and increasingly, it owns them.

Owning the game

Asian ownership in global sports has evolved from passive investments to full-scale control.

Nita and Mukesh Ambani exemplify this shift. Through Reliance Industries, they own the Mumbai Indians, arguably the most valuable IPL team, and they have built it into a global brand with offshoot franchises in the US and South Africa. Their Viacom18 venture secured IPL streaming rights for US$2.6 billion, creating an end-to-end value chain from ownership to distribution.

Fosun International, the Chinese conglomerate, owns Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League. While China's outbound sports investments have slowed, commercial influence persists via media rights and minority stakes in global sports conglomerates.

Elsewhere, Singapore’s Peter Lim owns Valencia CF in Spain’s La Liga, the country’s top football division, and Joe Tsai, the Taiwanese-Canadian co-founder of Alibaba, controls the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty basketball teams and the Barclays Center in New York.

A new wave of strategic acquisitions is now reshaping ownership dynamics. In 2024, Red Bull entered Japanese football’s J-League by acquiring Omiya Ardija, signalling Japan’s inclusion in the multi-club model. For Red Bull, the appeal is Asia’s youthful demographic, merchandising potential and rising broadcast rights.

And earlier this year, Aditya Mittal, the Indian steel magnate, invested US$1 billion into the US$6.1 billion acquisition of the Boston Celtics basketball team. His participation isn’t just symbolic, it marks South Asia’s formal entry into US major league ownership. For the Celtics, this could open up Indian fan engagement and brand partnerships. For Mittal, it’s a strategic asset play with cultural upside.

Investment case

For investors, Asia’s sporting surge presents a web of opportunities. Publicly traded sportswear companies like Anta, Li-Ning and Asics offer access to vertically integrated manufacturing, design and brand. Thematic exchange-traded funds focused on health, fitness and consumer growth frequently include these names. Hong Kong-listed Xtep International sells footwear and apparel and owns Saucony, K-Swiss, Palladium and Merrell in China.

Private equity and venture capital are now targeting sports tech, the athleisure sector, fan engagement platforms and smart apparel. Industrial real estate investment trusts and logistics players are responding to rising demand for regional warehousing and e-commerce infrastructure driven by expanding sports brands.

Even nature-based financing and environmental, social and governance-aligned investment are finding common ground with sports. Whether through sustainable stadium development, blended finance for tourism zones or carbon-neutral apparel production, Asia’s sports economy is also aligning with environmental goals.

Sport in Asia has evolved beyond competition. It now serves as a platform for economic ambition, cultural expression and strategic influence. It’s where investment aligns with identity, and where fan engagement drives business value.

And as the world gears up for another decade of digital transformation, demographic shifts and cross-border consumption, one thing is clear – Asia won’t just be playing in the games. It will be owning the stadium, streaming the match, producing the merchandise and, quite likely, supplying the star players too.