Fitness for all

Sports minister praises progress, sees expanded public campaign

China's sports minister has hailed the achievements of the mass fitness campaign, launched in 2008, and envisions a larger program to benefit more members of the general public in the next five-year plan.

Following the sixth National Fitness Day on Aug 8, public enthusiasm for exercise and fitness activities has spread throughout the country, inspiring citizens to embrace healthy lifestyles by making exercise part of their daily routine.

During the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, which was concluded on Aug 28, scenes of elderly people practicing tai chi, middle-aged housewives doing aerobics and youngsters playing ball games as well as jogging were common in communities and sports parks and on campuses.

Such mass participation has impressed Liu Peng, director of China's State General Administration of Sport.

"We hope to keep the momentum after every year's National Fitness Day campaign for as long as possible, so a wide range of mass fitness programs has been implemented on a long-term basis to involve more people this year," Liu said.

As part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic legacy, Aug 8 was set as the National Fitness Day every year.

On that day, all public sports facilities and State-run training venues open for free, and fitness promotions and activities are held across the country.

Former International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who was visiting Nanjing for the Youth Olympic Games, applauded the fitness day setup.

The 72-year-old Belgian said China's efforts to promote mass fitness have been done "with great efficiency", adding that "the concept of sports for all has been brought into the limelight and practiced by Chinese people in their daily life".

Liu also urged local sports authorities and non-governmental organizations to organize fitness programs based more on the public's actual demand and exercise habits.

"We will encourage public sports facilities to serve the public for free or with limited fees for the long term, not only for the period around the fitness day, by offering governmental subsidies and preferential policies," Liu said.

"Our efforts in the past six years have paid off, because public awareness of healthy lifestyles through sports has grown," Liu added.

Liu's praise was supported by the fact that the average fitness level of Chinese adults has improved after years of decline.

According to the latest national fitness survey conducted by the sports authority, Chinese in general are exercising more and their athletic ability has improved slightly over the past year.

The survey, which analyzed data from 90,929 people from 10 provinces and municipalities, found that 50.5 percent of Chinese aged 20 to 69 have exercised over the past year, reflecting a 1.3 percent year-on-year increase.

According to the national fitness standard, which grades fitness according to body shape, physical function and athletic ability, 13.8 percent of the respondents aged 20 to 69 reached "excellent," the highest level - a 0.6 percent year-on-year increase.

The number of people who achieved "excellent" among those aged 20 to 39 increased by 1.6 percent since last year.

The survey also revealed that the obesity rate among Chinese, which had been increasing since 2005, has declined since 2013.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 09/05/2014 page14)