China’s National Sports Publicity Week encourages physical activity

China’s first ever National Sports Publicity Week has been reported to have been successful in encouraging millions of people across China to get active, helping to shape a healthier future for the nation.

Held from 7th to 13th August as part of China's national fitness campaign, the Week’s events included numerous online and offline grassroots activities organised across the country.

According to the General Administration of Sport of China, on National Fitness Day on 8th August over 6.5 million people took part in more than 24,000 exercise activities, according to the General Administration of Sport of China.

As reported by the China Daily, volunteers played a huge role in ensuring the success of the week, staging free training sessions and helping to organise activities that promote healthier living and scientific training methods.

In Zhejiang province, volunteers from over 50 grassroots organizations organised activities in sports such as wushu, cycling, swimming and running.

Similar activities were also held in Hubei province, which has more than 160,000 grassroots volunteer sports instructors and coaches who participate in over 200 grassroots activities, helping to attract over 1 million people to sport.

In Kunming, Yunnan province, hundreds of senior citizens took part in a jogging event at Tuodong Sports Center, one of the many high-quality venues open to the public across the nation.

Shanghai hosted over 260 sports and fitness activities and more than 50 sports culture fairs during National Sports Publicity Week, with more than 800 venues offering free admission to local residents.

In the city's Putuo district, 12 sports venues, 10 fitness centres and 10 outdoor courts were open to citizens on National Fitness Day, while a total of 47 sports venues were free to enter in the city's northern Baoshan district.

In Jingan district, over 40 sports venues were open free of charge, with some even staging anti-doping lectures, while in Xuhui district, over 30 municipal-level clubs and sports organizations offered a series of sports experiences and training activities.

Shanghai Second Sports School, which counts Chinese hurdles star Liu Xiang and two-time Olympic track cycling champion Zhong Tianshi among its former pupils, welcomed 15 local families who watched the training sessions of professional track and field athletes, with some children discovering the benefits of the school's smart track.

School Principal, Li Guoxiong told the China Daily “the track not only detects a runner's speed, it can also measure your step frequency and step length.

“It's a smart track with digital data. Modern sports development is not so much about working athletes harder, it's more about using technology and scientific training methods to enhance an athlete's performance and prolong their career.”

Several Chinese sporting stars joined the activities, with table tennis legend Ma Long, shot put star Gong Lijiao and Olympic champion swimmer Zhang Yufei recording videos to encourage more people to embrace a healthier lifestyle.