Lesser-known sports in China gain traction

Once confined to professional arenas or little known to the general public in China, a growing number of niche sports are finding their way into the daily lives of ordinary Chinese, adding fresh choices to the nation's fitness landscape.

For people across the country, nowhere is this shift more visible than in ice and snow sports, as the successful hosting of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has left a lasting legacy.

According to the General Administration of Sport, ski resorts nationwide recorded 118 million visits between November 2025 and January 2026.

As the national campaign to engage 300 million people in ice and snow sports has deepened public appreciation for winter activities, ice and snow sports have become a key engine for deepening the national fitness campaign, said Zhu Yongguo, dean of the School of Winter Sport at the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports.

Zhu, also president of the Beijing Curling Association, highlighted curling as a prime example. He cited public access to the Ice Cube — the iconic Winter Olympics venue — for curling experiences, and a curling tournament that attracted more than 300 competitors from over 20 cities, as evidence that "curling is evolving into a vehicle for mass participation".

Unlike speed skating, skiing or ice hockey — which emphasize speed and power — curling features a steady rhythm and minimal body contact. "It delivers clear fitness benefits while being gentle on the body, making it suitable for people of varying fitness levels and of all age groups," Zhu said.

Innovations such as floor curling and tabletop curling further reduce the need for professional ice surfaces and seasonal conditions, allowing for year-round practice, he added.

Zhu suggested promoting senior-friendly adaptations like tabletop curling, integrating into the sport's outreach the concept of "primary prevention" to help prevent diseases among elderly people before they develop.

Beyond winter sports, other once-uncommon activities are also gaining traction. Wei Zihan, a former champion of the Beijing Collegiate Cricket Tournament, founded the Bird's Nest Youth Fitness Club in 2024 after her graduation, aiming to leverage the reputation of the Olympic venue to promote cricket as a tool for physical training and youth fitness.

Cricket is arguably one of the most popular sports in terms of global fan base, Wei said. "But in China, most people still see it as a new sport.

"That gap is exactly what we aim to fill — introducing a fresh option to enrich the choices available in the national fitness movement," she said.

With cricket added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the Chinese women's team securing its Asian Games berth at a qualifying tournament in May, attention on this sport is growing, she said.

During this year's National Fitness Day, which fell on Aug 8, Wei's club, with support from the General Administration of Sport's Multiball Games Administrative Center, hosted a series of events to promote cricket: free beginner sessions, exhibition matches between university teams, and a youth training camp.

As her club is dedicated to youth fitness, Wei said that cricket training serves as a supplement to physical education classes for schoolchildren. "Sports are not a burden for students — they add value to their development," she said.

She noted that parents' attitudes toward sports have shifted significantly. "Parents no longer see sports only as a path to a professional athletic career. They want their children to have strong, healthy bodies," she said.

Beyond actual competitions, Wei said her club also introduces cricket's global status, its Olympic future and the policy support behind the sport.

"When parents understand these things, they get interested. Once kids try it, they fall in love with it," she added.