Run or not to run? Sports circle faces dilemma (2)

First, China today does not necessarily need marathon. Cities should pursue distinctions in their development. Indeed, some cities became famous because of marathons; however, this might not universally apply to all cities, not to mention the long distance, large number of participants, and huge investment in marathon competitions.

Second, our young people definitely need long-distance running. Experts believe that long-distance running is the mother of all sports and cannot be replaced by any other items in terms of its value for young people to exercise their cardiopulmonary function, physical endurance, and willpower. "Physical deterioration" is a bad excuse for cancelling the long-distance running items but it is exactly the reason why long-distance running is needed. Safety is an issue, true, but any sport has a risk of injury. The key is prevention and promulgation of health knowledge, which in fact should become part of the physical education.

On the one hand, more large-scale sports competitions are held in succession, with constant improvement in athletic standards; On the other hand, campus sports events are on the decline, with lowering physical fitness among teenagers. The two contrasting facts in China's sports have long confused us. Their coexistence only indicates that we have not thoroughly integrated our sports and educational efforts, while China's sports development focuses more on sports elites, with less opportunity for the society, campuses and education field.

Of course, our decision makers for sports are increasingly aware that athletic sports cannot develop without supports from social sports and campus sports. Though national fitness movement has been given with more encouragements and supports in recent years, the society has not reached the consensus on the development of fitness exercise as evidenced by the fact that universities successively cancel the long-distance running with the excuse of "safety guarantee".

There is no contradiction between the reverence for life and the enthusiasm about sports. Meanwhile, there is also no dividing line between professional athletics and campus sports by nature. Both of them could advance side by side and achieve a virtuous circle. And only so can China's sports develop vigorously and the overall physical fitness of the Chinese nation will get better.

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