Rowan [Luo Wenr, 罗 文 ] has been at the forefront of opening and reform in the PRC media and sports industries with over 35 years’ experience working with major rights holders, broadcasters, consumer brands, and their multiple government regulators. … Continued
Rowan [Luo Wenr, 罗 文 ] has been at the forefront of opening and reform in the PRC media and sports industries with over 35 years’ experience working with major rights holders, broadcasters, consumer brands, and their multiple government regulators. … Continued
Rowan [Luo Wenr, 罗 文 ] has been at the forefront of opening and reform in the PRC media and sports industries with over 35 years’ experience working with major rights holders, broadcasters, consumer brands, and their multiple government regulators.
An experienced speaker & moderator in English and Chinese, Rowan’s entertaining insights feature at sports conferences and via media worldwide*. He plays football for Four Moral Wanderers FC in Beijing.
A veteran of the Chinese sports scene, Rowan’s journey began in the late eighties when he worked inside the Preparatory Committee for the landmark 1990 Beijing Asian Games. An eye-witness to the transformative events during that period, he embarked on a mission to change China’s sporting landscape from within. Rowan collaborated with CCTV, regional channels, and global partners and sponsors to bring international sporting events like the Euros, Premier League, FA Cup, Wimbledon and motorsports to Chinese audiences. He became a familiar face as a commentator on BTV’s live English football shows and has been an advisor to all three Beijing Olympic bids (2000, 2008, 2022).
A rare foreign voice inside the industry, Rowan has championed football reform for over twodecades. In 2000, he established an offshore SPV to develop new civil football networks. This vision was realized in 2001 with the formation of ClubFootball (CF), China’s first foreign-owned football club. Today, CF stands as a leading grassroots network in Beijing, empowering thousands of young families. (www.clubfootball.com.cn) Rowan’s astute observations culminated in the critically-acclaimed book “Bamboo Goalposts” (2008), a unique perspective on China’s development through the lens of the world’s most popular sport. Also released in French and Portuguese, it was published in Chinese by Xinhua as “Football without Borders” in 2010.
In 2015, Rowan created a landmark football culture exchange for Xi Jinping’s state visit to the UK and was later recognized for his efforts to promote the ancient sport of Cuju as an Ambassador of Friendship to Shandong. His advocacy for reform and strong voice regarding FIFA regulations and the importance of a civil society to build a sports nation directly influenced the radical 2016 Football Reform Plan that separated the Chinese FA from government control. Following long
COVID and the moral and financial collapse of professional football, his contributions continue to shape the conversation surrounding sport and its role in the New Era.