As the 2022 Winter Olympics attracts the world's attention to Beijing, Chinese athletes are showing their capacity beyond the sporting arena by starring in a wide range of commercials or starting their own businesses.

It's common for brands to cooperate with well-known sports stars. When social media is reshaping advertising and marketing, they move faster than before. 

During last summer's Tokyo Olympics, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi invited sprinter Su Bingtian to serve as a spokesperson, just days after Su made history with a 100m final appearance in Tokyo.

Beyond the track, Su is also an associate professor at the School of Physical Education at Jinan University based in Guangzhou. His academic background also fits the image of the tech company. 

Other athletes who received wide attention during the Tokyo Olympics, including sport shooter Yang Qian and table tennis player Ma Long, all soon appeared in commercials and advertisements for brands. 

The passion for sports, as well as sports stars, continued and was further boosted by the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, as more young athletes emerged. 

The success of Gu Ailing, China's first women's freestyle skiing big air gold medalist at the Beijing Games, has sparked a mania in the country. 

The 18-year-old athlete has become a popular choice for many brands. She has cooperated with more than 20, including traditional sports companies, vertical business tracks, and major luxury brands. 

Global brands have placed a bet on the teenage star's healthy image and massive influence: Gu has about 13.22 million followers on the short video platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and 4.74 million followers on Twitter-like Weibo.

Media reports estimated that her brand endorsements translated to more than 200 million yuan ($31.45 million) in 2021.

As China has become more prominent in global sports in recent years, the country's athletes have become favorites for brands for their healthy image and self-discipline, which makes them lower risk options compared to pop stars, Chinanews.com reported.

There are also concerns that the exploding popularity may distract athletes from their training and development. 

After 17-year-old snowboarder Su Yiming gained popularity during the Beijing 2022 Olympics, his agent told the media that they have to reject about 100 business endorsement proposals each day. 

Su made history by winning a silver medal in the men's slopestyle final on February 7 and gave China a gold medal in men's big air with a stunning show on Tuesday (February 15). He's already had some business endorsements for sports, food and auto brands.

When an athlete becomes well known, it's necessary to protect him and prioritize his long-term development and personal willingness, said Yang Ran, Su's agent.

Another athlete making a splash at the Winter Olympics is former Chinese short-track speed skater Wang Meng, a four-time Olympic champion, who has become an instant hit as a sports commentator for her humor.

A video of her commentary highlights has been watched by more than 16.83 million people on Weibo. The trending topic of #WangMengCommentary attracted 962 million views on Weibo on February 6 alone.

She told the media that she is running a multi-channel network (MCN) company, targeted at helping retired athletes find new career opportunities.

The company only deals with former athletes, she said, adding that as well as Olympic gold medalists and world champions, there are many athletes with lower public profiles who need jobs after retiring from sports.