General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance
to the development of China's sports undertakings and the launch of national fitness campaigns.
He pointed out: It is necessary to further enhance the comprehensive strength of China's competitive sports,
making competitive sports better, faster, higher, and stronger,
and improving the ability to win glory for the country in major international events,
thereby effectively driving the development of mass sports.
He emphasized: We must extensively carry out national fitness campaigns
to promote the comprehensive development of mass sports and competitive sports.
Today (August 8) is National Fitness Day.
CCTV's Xinwen Lianbo focused on the theme
"High-Quality Development of National Fitness, Building a Solid Foundation for a Healthy China"
and conducted a special report.
Professor Liu Bo, Director of the Division of Sports Science and Physical Education at Tsinghua University
and Dean of the Institute of Sports Development,
accepted an interview:
"In accordance with General Secretary Xi Jinping's requirements,
we must take meeting the people's fitness needs and promoting comprehensive human development
as the starting point and ultimate goal of sports work.
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed
that 'improving the public service system for national fitness'
be a key task for comprehensively deepening reforms in the sports sector.
This also marks that the cause of national fitness
has entered a new stage of serving the overall national strategy
and facilitating high-quality development."
Under the guidance and promotion of General Secretary Xi Jinping, in 2014, National Fitness was officially elevated to a National Strategy. The 19th CPC National Congress clearly proposed the goal to "extensively carry out national fitness activities and accelerate the building of a leading sports nation." In 2022, the central government issued the Opinions on Building a Higher Level Public Service System for National Fitness. The 20th CPC National Congress made further clear deployments for "National Fitness," and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee incorporated "improving the public service system for national fitness" into the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization.
Guided by the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and directives, various localities and departments have actively implemented the National Fitness Strategy, continuously improved the policy system for public sports services, and provided all-around policy guarantees for national fitness. Multiple measures have been taken to improve the construction of public fitness facilities and the level of openness of public sports venues, effectively addressing the problem of "where to exercise" for the masses. At the same time, the supply of public service products for national fitness has been enriched and improved, deeply promoting the widespread development of national fitness activities.
Today, the achievements of the Beijing Winter Olympics in "engaging 300 million people in ice and snow sports" have been continuously consolidated and expanded, and the popularity of ice and snow sports continues to deepen. Venues for events such as the Hangzhou Asian Games and 31st Summer World University Games have strengthened post-match reutilization, transforming from top-tier competitive arenas into "people's gyms." Localities have also adapted to local conditions to build "15-minute fitness circles" throughout urban and rural areas. Rural competitions such as "Village BA" and "Village Super League" have quietly integrated into people's daily lives, becoming a new force in national fitness.
Data shows that by the end of 2023, China had a total of 4.5927 million sports venues, with a sports venue area of 4.071 billion square meters, representing increases of 171% and 104.4% respectively compared to 2013. The per capita sports venue area reached 2.89 square meters, achieving the goal of 2.6 square meters proposed in the 14th Five-Year Plan for Sports Development ahead of schedule. The proportion of people in China who regularly participate in physical exercise is approaching 40%. A pattern of mass sports led by the government, coordinated by multiple departments, with participation from the whole society, and co-built and shared by all people has initially taken shape, and the public service system for national fitness has been basically established.
