A Chinese fan lets his presence be known during the World Cup match between Germany and Mexico in Moscow. [Photo/Agencies]
尽管中国队并未前往俄罗斯参赛，但中国的身影却在世界杯的赛场上随处可见，在这个全球人口最多的国家，国内大众的关注带来了空前的媒体报道和赞助活动。
From pitchside LED billboards to the teeming mixed zones and hospitality areas, China’s presence at the tournament is ubiquitous, on and off the field.
从场边的LED广告牌到人头攒动的混合采访区和接待区，在本次大赛的赛场内外，中国的存在感无处不在。
Chinese sponsors lead the tournament’s advertising standings, accounting for about $835 million of a $2.4 billion global splurge. That’s $400 million more than the next biggest spender, the United States, and easily exceeds that of host country Russia, according to market-research firm Zenith.
中国赞助商领跑了大赛的广告赞助排名，在全球24亿美元的赞助中，中国投入了8.35亿美元。根据市场调查公司Zenith的数据，这个数额比大赛的第二大赞助商美国多出了4亿，并且轻而易举地超过了主办国俄罗斯。
All this comes against a backdrop of a decline in interest from the Cup’s traditional Western backers as the aftershocks of FIFA’s corruption scandals continue to be felt financially.
这一切都源于国际足联在财政方面持续性的贪腐丑闻，让世界杯传统西方赞助商对该赛事的兴趣下降。
"The ambition of Chinese brands going global is growing rapidly, while vacancies on the World Cup’s expanded sponsorship structure has provided a shortcut to a top international marketing platform," said Jiang Lizhang, chairman of Chinese sports marketing firm Desports, FIFA’s exclusive sponsorship agency in Asia.
“中国品牌走向全球的雄心迅速壮大，而世界杯扩大的赞助商结构也产生了空缺，为通往这一顶级的国际营销平台提供了捷径，”国际足联的亚洲区赞助商独家销售代理、中国体育营销公司双刃剑体育总裁蒋立章表示。
Chinese companies, including FIFA partner Wanda Group and sponsor Hisense Electronics Co, have taken seven of the 17 FIFA sponsor slots, a far cry from four years ago when there was only one Chinese brand involved.
在国际足联17家赞助商中，包括国际足联合作伙伴万达集团以及赞助商海信电器在内的中国企业就占了7家。这与四年前的情况大不相同，当时，世界杯只有一家中国赞助商。
FIFA is not surprised.
国际足联对此并不感到惊讶。
"It’s something that was expected," said Franck Guignery, FIFA’s head of sales.
“这是可以预见的情况，”国际足联销售总监弗兰克·古尼尔表示。
"The Chinese government’s ambition to develop the game on a national basis is impressive and the growth plays a major part in FIFA’s vision to increase soccer participation to 60 percent of the global population by 2026.”
“中国政府在全国范围内发展足球运动的雄心令人印象深刻。国际足联的目标是，到2026年，要使世界上60%的人都参与到足球运动中，而中国的增长将发挥重要作用。”
"The access offers companies that might not otherwise enter a global sponsorship deal the chance to do so. The value proposition is much stronger."
“成为世界杯赞助商为那些或许难以签下全球赞助协议的企业提供了机会，价值定位也要高多了。”
Chinese media are also feasting at the FIFA table, with the World Cup’s total global audience forecast to hit 3.4 billion, according to research company GlobalWebIndex.
调研公司GlobalWebIndex的数据显示，全球观看世界杯的人数预计将达到34亿，而中国媒体也参与到国际足联的这场盛宴中。
China has sent over 300 journalists, 200 of those accredited by FIFA, to cover the event, making it the biggest media legion, barring broadcast crews, among all non-competing nations, according to a report on the Shanghai Observer website.
上观新闻网的一篇报道指出，中国派出了超过300名记者（其中200名获得了国际足联授权）来报道这场大赛。除了转播人员之外，这是所有未参赛国中最大的媒体团了。
According to China Central Television, the World Cup’s exclusive TV broadcaster in China, over 128 million viewers－almost 10 percent of the population－tuned in to watch the opening match on multiple channels.
世界杯中国区独家转播权所有者中央电视台表示，观众超过1.28亿—— 接近10%的中国人口 —— 在多个频道收看世界杯开幕战。
"After all, only about 40,000 Chinese ticketholders could enjoy the games live in Russia. The interest in the tournament back home is staggering and this is only the beginning," said Hong Jianping, a sports communication researcher with Beijing Sport University.
“毕竟，只有大约4万名买到门票的中国球迷能在俄罗斯现场观战。国内对于这一赛事有着巨大的兴趣，而这一切只是个开始，”北京体育大学体育新闻研究员洪建平表示。
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