New plan focuses on public participation in sports

Editor's note: The central authorities adopted a plan to promote national fitness from 2026 to 2030. The plan builds on the success of the previous initiative from 2021 to 2025. The plan calls for increasing the supply of fitness facilities through multiple channels, boosting school sports and organizing various amateur sports events that involve ordinary people. Nanfang Plus, a news outlet of Nanfang Media Group, spoke to Li Liang, a researcher at the China Institute of Sport Science, about the plan. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

One of the core tasks of the previous national fitness plan was to increase the number of fitness venues and the supply of facilities. Accordingly, new venues were constructed, existing ones were renovated and expanded, and more venues were opened for public use. Thanks to these efforts, the public's accessibility to sports facilities has increased.

China's per capita sports venue area stands at 3.11 square meters, indicating that there is an adequate supply of sports venues for people's fitness needs.

Building on this progress, the new plan is now focusing on upgrading the quality of these facilities and their targeted supply, which requires mobilizing resources from all sectors, unlocking the potential of existing sports facilities and optimizing their allocation.

School sports will be boosted so that young people are encouraged to actively engage in sports and become lifelong sports participants.

But national fitness extends beyond the sports sector. It is essential to establish a health service system that covers all age groups. The ultimate aim of national fitness should be to safeguard people's health throughout their lives and support the building of a strong nation where people enjoy sound health.

A key priority of the new plan is to enhance the efficiency of sports facilities. It is not enough to merely construct such facilities; what matters more is ensuring they are effectively utilized by the public.

There is fitness equipment in many residential compounds. The supply of equipment that meets the needs of older adults and children should be increased to attract people of all age groups.

Authorities and officials at the grassroots level should organize sports events, especially parent-child activities, on a more regular basis. There should also be more professional guidance and services to help residents work out in a scientific way.

Amateur sports events have seen significant growth across the country in recent years. But they tend to be highly similar. Also, some events focus excessively on online popularity, and a lot of people remain just spectators rather than participants.

Amateur sports events should be more inclusive. These events are not meant for professional athletes, and should therefore avoid too much commercialization. The organizers should focus on attracting broader public involvement in the events.

A tiered system of sports events targeting different groups of people should be developed. Events at lower tiers have a greater potential to attract public participation. By engaging in these activities, people can experience the positive changes sports can bring to their lives, and may gradually incorporate fitness activities into their everyday routines.

In addition, sports events should have special local characteristics, and not try to imitate events of other regions. They should be designed to meet the specific needs and preferences of local communities and encourage them to participate.