Idols not idle as celebs sweat it out

Deng, though, says the event serves a more important function.

"It will undoubtedly boost the promotion of many marginal sports, allowing more people to be interested in certain sports that they might not have been so familiar with," she added.

"For example, rhythmic gymnastics has been a good match for our idols. Many of them have had dance training and some even performed ballet. For sure, it's more challenging to practice rhythmic gymnastics, but our stars have the talent to give it a go. That shows the beauty of both the sports and our girls.

"This is a good way as the idols will encourage their fans and more young people to embrace these sports. We want these sports to become part of people's lifestyles. The youngsters will follow their idols and get out of the house to exercise, play ball games and make more friends."

Deng has been especially impressed by pop star Li Wenhan, who last year finished second in the men's 50-meter swimming, and this year participated in the mixed 4x50m relay in the pool as well as the tug of war.

"Actually I don't have much time to have professional training due to my work. But I always keep exercising and maintain a good physical condition," said Li.

"Being a professional athlete is really hard. It demands daily training and athletes need to have extraordinary perseverance. I just hope more people can take up sports as it greatly benefits your body."

Li's efforts in the pool are having the desired effect on his fans, with Beijing office worker Mu Yan among those now raring to take the plunge.

"I knew that Li Wenhan had swam since he was a boy and he continued exercising after he became a pop star," she said. "He is now a pop idol with many sports skills like swimming, basketball, table tennis and surfing.

"As I'm an office worker, I don't have much time to do sports. Now I have realized the importance of health and I push myself to keep training at the gym half an hour in the afternoon. Li said that the habit of sports gave him good health and perseverance. Now I'm waiting for the reopening of the swimming pool, so I can start to learn how to swim."

Fitness first

The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a particularly tough year for the sports industry worldwide, with major events such as the Tokyo Olympics postponed or canceled. The public have also seen their exercise routines curtailed, however with the epidemic now under control in China, sports are returning to people's lives.

To help teenagers get back on the sports field, the Super Novae Games this year launched an initiative entitled "Bring the playground back home". In addition, an online challenge called "Super Novae Games fans sports meet" is aimed at a wider audience and encourages people to run, dance and do push-ups or planks at home.

"The pandemic has made people focus more on health and an important way to increase our body's resistance to diseases is to keep doing sports," said Deng.

"Now sports are coming back to our lives and more sports venues are reopening to the public. I know a fitness center in Zhengzhou that reopened in June and it welcomed much more people compared with the same time last year."