Students from Xiamen University play in a flying disc competition on March 16, 2021. Photo: cnsphoto

For Yang Tong, a Beijing-based woman in her 20s, playing ultimate flying disc on weekends has become her favorite hobby since she first learned about the sport at the end of 2021.  Every week she takes part in a flying disc session with her friends, a non-contact team event using flying disks.

"I play the sport as a physical exercise and social activity. It is much more fun than jogging and it is relaxing to play it with your peers," Yang told the Global Times on Monday.

Yang is not alone. A fun outdoor sport played with friends, flying discs rapidly gained in popularity last year. As COVID-19 held back traveling and indoor gatherings, the rise of flying disc has provided an outlet for people's desire for social activities while also boosting consumption and manufacturing growth, insiders said.

Gaining Popularity 

Flying disc is slowly gaining steam in China. Although it is still a relatively niche sport, it is quickly gaining attention,Qin Muxin, a brand manager of the DoubleHood club, a Beijing-based flying disc club, told the Global Times.

The popularity of the sport has a lot to do with the way each game is played. 

"First, flying disc is an outdoor team event that is friendly to all. It is easy to play with no prior experiences needed, which eliminates the concerns of many first time participants. At the same time, flying disc is a team sport. It helps to break social barriers and let everyone quickly get to know each other, which is another charm of flying disc," Qin said.

The DoubleHood club was officially launched in late 2021 nurtured by a circle of friends who met regularly to play flying disc. 

At present the clubs offer practice sessions for new players and provides professional venues, equipment, and expertise sharing session for the more experienced players, Qin said.

"The club so far has gained roughly 800 regular members and followers," Qin said.

According to Qin, there are more than 20 clubs of different sizes in Beijing, and, based on incomplete statistics there could be 20,000 to 30,000 people engaged in the activity in the capital city alone.

Cong Yi, an agent from a leading flying disc equipment provider X-COM, said the sport which only arrived in China in recent years is gaining pace quickly.

"There are more than one million participants in China and it is expected to become a new supplement for local consumption and holiday entertainment in the context of the pandemic," Cong told the Global Times on Monday.

"In 2021, the number of domestic participants has increased 10 times from 2020. The market scale could still rise in the future," Cong said.

Booming Market 

The booming market is also driving equipment sales. Since flying disc is on the upward track, it is expected that more industries will be attracted to the business, from equipment makers, sports training to exercise rehabilitation, analysts said.

According to company data provider Qichacha, there are 4,580 flying disc related companies in China, with about 65 percent registered within the last year.

Flying disc equipment manufacturing is the highest potential industry. According to Cong most of the common flying discs on the market are priced between 50 yuan ($7.85) to 100 yuan. In addition, there has also been high value added personalized discs and branded-design models that featured original copyrights, Cong said.

According to Xiaohongshu, a social media and e-commerce platform widely viewed as China's answer to Instagram, the number of posts related to flying disc has increased by 113 percent over the past six months to 30,000. Posted content ranges from introduction to flying disc, to rules and coaching to players' feedback.

In addition to discs, as flying disc becomes more mainstream a growing number of industries such as clothing, shoes, drinks and high-tech devices such as digital wearables are expected to join to the bandwagon, Cong said.

However, there are talent gaps and market loopholes that call for attention, analysts say. For example, market demand for professional flying disc coaches and the quality of the discs is on the rise, Cong said.

Qin noted that the lack of unified industry standards and standardized organizations across local clubs may lead to subpar training experiences for new players, a common problem for a new sport  in China. 

"But, I have a feeling that flying disc will be embraced by more people in the country, including enterprises that make the products," Qin said.