Xue Zhixing, deputy secretary general of the Chinese Flying Disc Administrative Committee, underlined the rapid expansion of the sport when speaking at the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Congress in Nottingham.

China has sent a 56-strong team competing in the open, women’s and mixed categories to this week’s World Under-24 Ultimate Championships in the English city.

The team’s arrival comes after the first-ever staging of Chinese Ultimate League which has attracted huge broadcast figures on CCTV-5 and CCTV Olympic Channel.

Xue revealed that 1.6 billion viewers watched the Chinese Ultimate League featuring 11 regional finals and the grand final held in Chengdu last month.

"In China, we have explosive growth in the past two years and you can see people playing with frisbees everywhere," Xue told insidethegames.

China took a zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 with harsh lockdowns, quarantines and testing regimes.

Its international borders remained largely closed for almost three years before the Chinese Government finally abandoned its controversial zero-COVID policy in January.

Xue said China’s governing body for flying disc saw it as an opportunity rather than a challenge as it capitalised on the need for outdoor exercise.

"People could not do indoor entertainment like going to the theatre and sometimes the restaurants were closed so there was a high demand for outdoor activity," said Xue.

"We promoted ultimate as an urban outdoor trendy sport so people could engage with each other even if they don’t know each other.

"We are treating ultimate frisbee as a social activity because people don’t get many chances, particularly for young people."

China is using social media network Xiaohongshu - the Chinese version of Instagram - to great effect to get flying disc known across the country.

Sprinter Su Bingtian and four-time Olympic short-track speed skating champion Wang Meng are among the Chinese sports stars that have helped to promote flying disc on social media.

"We are getting athletes, fashion designers and other influencers to get more people to join frisbee so we can create a pyramid where we have a strong base," said Xue.

"A certain percentage of those will try to be competitors so it is the first time that we are focusing on the competitiveness of ultimate.

"It’s become more mature, it’s not just for fun.

"There is a high demand to communicate with other clubs or people to compete against each other.

"We now have a Chinese Ultimate League, a National Championships, a University Ultimate League and we will also organise some international open tournaments in the future.

"I think the sport will keep growing because we are now penetrating the universities, the high schools, middle schools and even primary schools.

"Flying disc is an educational programme."

Xue, who is also secretary general of the Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation, said work had been done to make flying disc a demonstration sport at both the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and last year’s delayed Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi in Vietnam.

Those efforts came to no avail but flying disc will be medal sport at the Chengdu 2025 World Games, with both ultimate and disc golf confirmed on the programme.

Tim Rockwood, managing director of broadcasting and marketing at the WFDF, revealed at the organisation’s Congress that it had agreed a "multi-year" sponsorship deal with Chinese company X-Com Footwear.

"In conjunction with our exclusive media rights partner in Beijing, we continue to distribute top-level WFDF Championship events throughout the People’s Republic of China with Mandarin-language commentary," Rockwood wrote in his report.

"As we get closer to the 2025 Chengdu World Games, this relationship will yield more benefits and help ensure that WFDF plays a leading role in the development of flying disc sports in the fastest-growing market in the world."