Wanda Sports Group Co., the China-based owner of Ironman, the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon series and Cape Epic mountain biking event, has filed an initial public offering in the U.S.
Wanda Sport lays claims as “the number one provider of mass participation sports events in triathlon, mountain biking and running globally (based on revenue and number of events organized in 2018),” according to its prospectus. Its brands include Ironman, Ironman 70.3, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and the Cape Epic mountain biking event.
The Beijing-based company also claims to be the number one full-service sports marketing company and the number two full-service sports marketing company with number one positions, among such companies, in football and winter (Olympic) sports, as well as the number three position in summer (Olympic) sports. In 2018, the company owned, or had rights in respect of, more than 20 world championships, including the FIFA World Cup Russia, the Ironman World Championship and the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Wanda Sports had 2018 revenue of $1.29 billion, up about 15 percent from a year ago, with profits of $62 million, a 31 percent drop from the previous year.