The story
Founded by Li Ning in 1989, in Beijing.1
History
The company was founded in 1990 by Li Ning, a former Chinese Olympic gymnast. As of 2026, Li Ning remained the chairman of the company's board of directors. In 2005, Li-Ning created a joint-venture with French sports apparel company, AIGLE, giving Li-Ning the exclusive right to be the sole distributor of AIGLE's products in China for 50 years. In 2006, Li-Ning posted revenues of US$418 million, and total profits of about US$39 million. As of March 2007, there were 4,297 Li-Ning retail stores. The company directly owns some of the retail stores while others are franchised.
In January 2010, Li-Ning opened its U.S. headquarters and flagship store in Portland, Oregon. In 2010, as part of the 'Revitalization' of the brand, Li-Ning released a new logo and the new slogan "让改变发生" "Ràng Gǎibiàn Fāshēng" in Chinese, translated to "Make the Change Occur" in English. In January 2011, Li-Ning entered into a partnership with Chicago-based Acquity Group to expand its U.S. distribution and brand awareness.
In October 2012, Li-Ning signed into a partnership with NBA player Dwyane Wade.
In 2013, The Group recorded revenue of RMB2,906 million, which represented a decrease of 24.6% year-on-year, due to near-term focus on sell-in reductions, inventory clearance, and reducing the number of stores. The Group projected a net loss of up to 820 million yuan (US$13.19 million) for 2014, the third straight year where it was unprofitable.
In 2019, Li-Ning reported revenues increased by 32 percent and reached 13.87 billion yuan against 10.51 billion yuan a year ago. Net profit attributable to equity holders increased to ¥1.5 billion from ¥715.3 million which vaulted 110 percent.
In 2020, Li-Ning saw its revenue increase 4.2 percent year-on-year to 14.46 billion yuan ($2.22 billion), the net profit increased on a comparative basis by 34.2 percent to 1.7 billion yuan ($261 million).
On 7 March 2022, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund of Norway excluded and divested from Li-Ning. The reason for this exclusion was an "unacceptable risk that the company contributes to serious human rights violations". That same month, the US Customs & Border Protection began detaining Li-Ning products from entering American soil due to the company using North Korean labor in its supply chain, causing them to withdraw from the US market.
The company's production facilities have been linked to human rights abuses against Uyghurs.
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In June 2026, Li-Ning entered into a long-term partnership with NBA player Stephen Curry and his Curry Brand. The agreement included basketball footwear and apparel, athleisure products, a golf line, and the ability for Curry to sign athletes under the Curry Brand banner. The deal was intended to expand Curry Brand's global presence.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Li-Ning sought sponsorship opportunities related to the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China. In 2007, Li-Ning entered into a strategic partnership with CCTV-5, the sports channel of the Chinese Central Television, to provide apparel for its hosts, news presenters and reporters through the end of 2008, including broadcasts during the Beijing Olympic Games. Li-Ning also sponsored the Chinese national teams of Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Shooting and Diving. It also sponsored the Argentine basketball team, as well as the Spanish and Swedish Olympics teams.
In a now famous case of ambush marketing (a subset of guerilla marketing), when entire countries were tuned to the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, millions saw Li Ning light the torch. Though the Li-Ning company was not an official sponsor of the games, it had still associated itself with the games through its role as an equipment supplier for several Chinese Olympic teams, and through Li's status as a Chinese sports and business icon. Consequently, the ceremony generated tremendous exposure for Li's eponymous company to the chagrin of official sports apparel supplier Adidas, as viewers did not realize that he had been fully dressed in Adidas as per its sponsorship rights to the Games. The company's share price increased by over 3% on the first day of trading after the opening ceremony.
From Wikipedia’s article on Li-Ning, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5