Badminton mocked as becoming ‘rich people’s sport’ in China as shuttlecock prices surge
- Demand for pork has increased in China, meaning less duck and goose is being sold, resulting in badminton shuttlecocks becoming more expensive
A price increase in the cost of badminton shuttlecocks in China is reported to have been caused by an unlikely suspect – declining pork prices.
The price for one of the most popular models of shuttlecocks from Japanese brand Yonex – the AS02- sold for 149 yuan (US$20.5) for a pack of 12 on Friday, representing a 24 per cent increase from a month ago, according to a price tracking chart from Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao.
Major shuttlecock producers in China- including Yonex, Double Happiness, Lingmei and Victor Sport – have all issued announcements on price increases of 20 per cent or more in the past weeks, according to the Shanghai-based The Paper.
And most blamed “raw materials” for the price increases.
“The price of low-end feathers have tripled, and the price of mid- to high-end feathers have at least doubled,” Anhui province-based shuttlecock factory owner Li Yang said, according to the Shanghai-based Liberation Daily newspaper.
Li added that goose or duck feathers are usually used to make shuttlecocks.
