Sales of ball-based sports gear up 700% in S. Korea as social distancing ends

Various types of sports gear are gaining popularity in South Korea with the government dropping all social distancing measures.

Online retailer Auction reported that between April 18 and June 20, sales of sports equipment involving balls, such as basketball, baseball, and football, increased by 700 percent among customers in their 20s and 30s.

Meanwhile, tennis accessories sales increased by 210 percent, with sales of tennis rackets increasing by 693 percent.

Sales of water sports equipment increased by 214 percent.

Contrarily, sales of yoga and pilates-related equipment, which were once popular during the pandemic, fell by 15 percent. Sales of exercise equipment like dumbbells also decreased by 21 percent.

According to Auction, increasing numbers of people are taking up outdoor sports activities that were previously prohibited by social segregation laws, changing current trends in sports and leisure pursuits.