Momentum Sports Merges With CAA China

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – China’s Momentum Sports, a marketing, brand consulting, and athlete rep company, has merged with CAA China, which was created last year to foster cross-border business between China and the U.S.

Under the deal, Legend Capital, an investor in Momentum Sports, will become a shareholder in .

Momentum Sports founder and CEO Mark Gao will work closely with CAA China CEO Mary Gu to help guide and grow CAA China’s efforts in sports.

“Mark Gao and his internationally-minded management team at Momentum will join our world-class sports business, helping further our efforts in China in such high-demand areas as broadcast rights, sponsorship, IP, and operation,” said Gu, who previously served as president of the International Special Olympics in East Asia and has been credited with establishing the IAAF Diamond League China League.

“In this moment of remarkable opportunity in China, Momentum’s local sports insights and experience, combined with CAA’s global reach and resources, will play a key role in the continued acceleration of our growth strategy,” Gu said.

Over the past two years, Momentum Sports has worked with local and international brands, including Vivo, Mengniu, Home Credit, BMW, Logitech, and Nike. The company, founded by Gao in 2016, has also worked with local sports professionals, notably footballer Bowen Huang and rising basketball star Shaojie Wang.

“We are excited to become part of a company with such a stellar global reputation like CAA and look forward to working collaboratively with our new colleagues – both domestically and internationally – to develop new opportunities for clients in the market,” said Gao.