China reports post Olympic fitness club boost

China's sporting performance at the London Olympics has led to a rise in membership at Beijing's fitness clubs.
Coinciding with China's National Fitness Day on 8th August clubs, the China Daily reports that gyms across the capital have seen a rise in new members, with Beijing residents inspired to get in shape by their Olympic heroes.
The newspaper quoted Zhang Wei, who works in membership registration for Hosa Fitness in the Chaoyang district of Beijing as stating "although the summer is a traditional peak season for fitness clubs, the number of new members in July was higher than last year.
"Many people step into the fitness centres for a toned figure, thanks to the inspiring six-pack abs and toned figures of the athletes in the London Games."
Hosa Fitness has 86 centers nationwide, including clubs in Shanghai and Chengdu.
Hosa Fitness Sales Executive Gao Feng explained that he signs up most new members in spring, but added the sales performance last month was "impressive".
The enthusiasm of the new recruits, partly inspired by the Games, also provided inspiration for clubs' marketing departments with clubs across Beijing coming up with various promotions to attract customers.
Zhang added "for those who came to register for a year, we give away film tickets, the amount of which was the number of gold medals the Chinese athletes won the day before."
Tera Wellness Club also gives out gifts such as T-shirts, sneakers and sports bottles.
As disposable income continues to be on the rise in China, so has the demand for fitness centres and studios. The number, as well as the quality of options of fitness centres is reaching international standards.
According to Beijing's Nirvana Fitness and Spa, many members come after work for a jog on the treadmill while watching the Olympic Games.
Nirvana Fitness and SPA Marketing Director explains "the number of members that show up everyday has increased three fold over the past decade. This year, the number of new people joining our club every month has doubled compared to the same period last year, which shows that people are more willing to do sports."
Explaining a growing interest in fitness, Wen Yihe, Director, Research INST. for sports science, PKU explained "the overall trend is great for recreational sports. But because most of these places are still very pricey, not everyone can afford them yet. I think for gyms to grow further, they need to not only depend on the money from their members, but they should also incorporate healthcare insurance into these memberships, which is common in developed countries."
In order to encourage more people to get more active, the Government has used other ways to encourage exercise such as setting up free workout equipment in parks and neighbourhoods in major cities.