Recently, China’s sports industry has received good news again. China Life NYBO Youth Basketball Open (hereinafter referred to as “China Life NYBO”) is sponsored by China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “China Life”, stock code: 601628.SH, 2628.HK) ), with its outstanding industry influence and far-reaching social value, stood out in the authoritative selection and won the “Influential Sports Brand” award in the 2025 Forbes China Sports Influence Selection, becoming the first youth sports event IP on the list to win this honor.
This award is an affirmation of the content co-creation and scenario-based experience upgrade of the youth sports development industry, and the establishment of emotional resonance with users. It has become a successful practice of cross-border integration of the financial insurance industry and the sports industry, and the practice of corporate social responsibility. It is also a full recognition of China Life’s eight years of deep empowerment of China’s youth sports industry with the responsibility of financial central enterprises and professional services, and the full recognition of the results achieved by practicing long-termism. Previously, the event has won the “2025 Sports Big Business Annual Culture, Sports and Tourism Integration IP Award” with its innovative “event + culture and tourism” integration model. This time it has been recognized by Forbes again, which demonstrates that the event has set a benchmark in multiple dimensions such as commercial value, social benefits and industry influence.
The “finance + sports” model protects young people’s basketball dreams
As a large state-owned financial and insurance company, China Life has always regarded supporting the country’s sports industry and protecting the health and well-being of the people as its responsibility, paying particular attention to the healthy growth of young people. Based on the consensus that sports are an effective way to shape a healthy personality and build a strong body for young people, China Life has chosen to join hands with the NYBO Youth Basketball Open.
The China Life NYBO Youth Basketball Open was founded in September 2017. It is a national youth basketball event that came into being under the guidance of the Youth Sports Department of the State Sports General Administration and the Chinese Basketball Association. The event adheres to the purpose of “allowing children who are not on the school team to have formal games to play”. It has been implemented in 33 provincial administrative regions and more than 200 cities or regions across the country. It has provided more than 140,000 games to nearly 440,000 basketball-loving teenagers, and has become a highly trusted event platform for teenagers, families and basketball enthusiasts.
This is not only an event, but also a broad platform that provides a professional stage for countless children from ordinary families and ignites their basketball dreams. The children sweat and fight hard on the field and gain growth and friendship. This is the core value pursued by China Life in its involvement in sports charity. Winning the authoritative award from Forbes China fully proves that the “finance + sports” model jointly explored by China Life and NYBO has achieved remarkable results in creating social value and promoting industrial development.
The two-way journey between life insurance leaders and youth basketball
The frequent good news demonstrates the extensive brand influence of China Life·NYBO in the industry. Before winning the Forbes Award, the event had already won the “Annual Culture, Sports and Tourism Integration IP Award” selected by Big Sports Business with its innovative “event + culture and tourism” in-depth integration model, becoming the first youth event to win this honor. This is inseparable from the stable support and long-term planning provided by China Life as a solid backing.
“We will continue to play a positive role in the industry, support the basketball industry as always, care for the growth of young people, promote the standardized and high-quality development of the youth sports industry, so that more young people can enjoy the joy of sports in a professional and loving environment, gain the power of growth, and lay a solid foundation for Chinese basketball The talent foundation will contribute a steady stream of China Life’s strength to the construction of a sports power, and let the sports spirit illuminate the growth path of every young person. “China Life said that it will use this award as a new starting point to continue to improve the stepped competition system and deepen the innovative model of “events + sports and education integration” and “events + culture and tourism”.
Currently, China’s sports industry is rapidly integrating into economic and social development. With the advancement of science and technology and the innovation of media forms, the participation methods, communication models and business models of sports have been redefined, showing the development trend of ubiquity, digitalization and integration. Against this background, Forbes China, ECO Krypton Sports and Yili Sports jointly launched the 2025 Forbes China Sports Influence Selection, aiming to accurately capture and highlight this multi-dimensional and three-dimensional influence of modern sports, encourage the entire industry to develop and innovate with a broader vision, and allow sports to continue to empower individuals and add color to the city.
