Develop mind but don't forget body

Are sports galas like the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, scheduled to open on Aug 16, inspiring events for Chinese youths? No, if we go strictly by the physical health of the youths.

It's easy to blame the shortage of public playgrounds and other sports facilities - while spending huge amounts of money on hosting big sports events - for the sorry state of affairs. But the real blame for youths' poor physical health should be shared by parents and schools.

For long, Chinese people were known for their slim physique. In fact, some of my colleagues say the word "obesity" was almost alien to them until newspapers first mentioned it as a problem in the late 1990s.