The ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup concluded on Sunday night after attracting thousands of Chinese table tennis fans to splash their cash in Macau, all for the love of superstars such as Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha. Olympic mixed doubles champions Wang and Sun have amassed a feverish following, particularly among young female spectators, who are willing spend large sums to watch their idols at a time when the country’s central government looks to capitalise on consumer spending on sport. Last week, Beijing rolled out supportive measures for the sports industry amid growing public enthusiasm. The Post witnessed how mainland Chinese visiting Macau loosened their purse strings during an event that ended with Sun beating compatriot Kuai Man 4-0 in Sunday’s women’s final before Brazil’s Hugo Calderano defeated China’s Lin Shidong 4-1 in the men’s. The overwhelming majority of attendees at the week-long World Cup were mainland women, with the largest number aged about 18 to 30. Li Shuran, 27, who works in healthcare, travelled from Guangzhou by herself for her birthday on Friday. Despite staying only a day in the gambling hub, she said she spent about 5,000 yuan (US$685) on her ticket, travel, souvenirs, and food and drink. “This is my first time coming to a table tennis tournament,” she said. Li did not follow table tennis until men’s world No 2 Wang and women’s No 1 Sun burst on to the scene, and explained how the duo had attracted a new wave of fans. “Wang Chuqin is a skilled left-hander and just so handsome, and Sun Yingsha is a really great role model for young women,” she said. “A lot of females used to watch table tennis before, but because of these two, the number has increased a lot.” Another fan, 26-year-old Wang Hongyao, had flown from China’s eastern Shandong province with several friends, one of whom brought her young daughter. She said they had spent around 5,000 yuan each on their first two days in Macau, including tickets, flights and accommodation. “We watched Thursday’s and Friday’s matches, [then] we will try some local restaurants and go sightseeing, but we’ll avoid the casinos,” she said. Macau has sought to pivot away from relying on casinos to fuel its economy, and sporting events have become another way to attract tourists. The city hosted UFC Fight Night last November, and this was the second ITTF World Cup it had hosted in as many years. Scalpers operated near the Galaxy International Convention Centre, offering VIP and category A tickets on Sunday for 2,500 to 4,000 yuan. Inside the venue, hundreds of fans stood in snaking queues to get their hands on official merchandise. Other stalls selling Chinese sports brands such as Li-Ning drew even more punters than those selling World Cup items. Li said she had spent a “few hundred yuan” on fridge magnets and table tennis balls. On April 11, China’s central bank and other financial regulators released a comprehensive plan to increase support for the sports industry, as part of a broader initiative to create a sustainable, high-growth sector that can be counted on to help to rev up the economy. The directive said China wanted to take advantage of the potential for higher consumer spending in the sector, and called for closer cooperation between financial institutions and sporting event organisers. The financial regulators encouraged banks to support the construction and operation of sporting infrastructure such as stadiums, sports parks and fitness trails. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has made a point of engaging with Chinese fans. The World Cup was a sell-out and 4.6 million people watched the live draw on China’s X-like platform Weibo. “While stars like Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha are leading the way, the entire Chinese national team continues to inspire fans and fill venues,” the ITTF told the Post. “Together with [commercial and events company] World Table Tennis, the ITTF is continuing to build on this momentum with more events and deeper engagement. Initiatives such as China’s interest in hosting future world championships offer a strong foundation for what could become a very exciting period for the sport.”