ANTA and LI NING will face the "Milan Battle"

As the countdown to the opening of the Milan Winter Olympics begins, ANTA has once again expanded its Olympic footprint in a highly symbolic manner.

According to the official announcement from ANTA, it has officially become a strategic partner of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and will provide a full set of award and living equipment for the Greek delegation.

As the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Greece's delegation has the "privilege" of being the first to enter the stadium at the opening ceremony of each Olympic Games.

This means that at the Milan Winter Olympics, which will kick off in the early hours of February 7, ANTA's logo will make its debut in the global broadcast as the first team enters the venue.

This undoubtedly puts subtle pressure on Li Ning, who has regained the sponsorship rights of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Just recently, on January 27, the mobilization meeting for the Chinese sports delegation to the Milan Winter Olympics was held in Beijing, with members appearing in a full set of equipment provided by Li Ning.

In the market cycle of the past few years, Li Ning has experienced the growing pains of brand reshaping and channel adjustments. Returning to the core Olympic circle is not only an indispensable ballast in its brand assets but also an important weapon for reshaping the "professional sports" label and resisting market pressure from competitors.

To quickly convert this "orthodoxy" into commercial effectiveness, Li Ning chose to launch the same products as the delegation on the day of the press conference, achieving a "zero time difference" synchronization with consumers for the first time.

For ANTA, which has firmly held the top position in the domestic market through a multi-brand strategy, continuing to leverage the Olympics to achieve global brand elevation and professional certification remains a cost-effective and effective path.

ANTA's first-mover advantage and matrix depth in the Olympic field should not be underestimated. Through its multi-brand matrix, ANTA supports 13 Chinese national teams, including short track speed skating and figure skating, with equipment.

In the current market context, Olympic marketing has long surpassed the stage of merely gaining visibility.

Whether it is ANTA's incorporation of international resources or Li Ning's reclamation of the core circle, what is reflected behind this is the anxiety of domestic sports brands seeking differentiated competition in a saturated market.

The snowfields of Milan have yet to officially start the competition, but this "battle" over brand tone, market share, and global narrative has already begun