| Asia's sporting goods industry converges on Taipei Source: Bulls and Bears / Bob Mackin / April 29, 2010
Treadmills, elliptical bikes, foosball tables and even baseball caps with magnetic sunglasses are on display at the Taipei World Trade Centre Nangang Exhibition Hall. The April 29-May 2 TaiSPO -- Taipei International Sporting Goods Show -- has drawn 385 manufacturers, including 147 in the lucrative fitness equipment sector. Taiwan counted more than $1 billion of exports in sporting goods in 2009, including $405.25 million in exercise and fitness equipment. Brands like Johnson Health and SportsArtFitness are exhibiting the latest in treadmills with screens that transform the exercise machine into a virtual reality tool. Johnson's products include a screen that offers images of the Olympic National Forest in Washington State, for example. The Lausanne, Switzerland-based World Federation for the Sporting Goods Industry used the occasion to stage its first manufacturers' forum in Taiwan. |
