Students fail army fitness standards

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Students fail army fitness standards

(China Daily) 08:32, August 13, 2013

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College students intending to join the army take eyesight tests at a Beijing hospital on Saturday. A Beijing Sport University professor says students' physical condition "has been declining since 1995". (China Daily/Wang Jing)

Excess weight, shortsightedness are cited as major problems

Beijing's army recruitment efforts have been increasingly hampered in recent years by a decline in the physical fitness of candidates, with many being ruled unsuitable due to common complaints such as being overweight or shortsighted.

According to Beijing's army recruitment office, around 60 percent of college students who apply for military service fail the physical fitness exam, posing a serious problem for the recruitment of college graduates into the army.

Most graduates are overweight or lack physical strength due to their sedentary lifestyles, with many also suffering from poor eyesight, according to the recruitment office.

More than 23 percent of the applicants failed to pass the eyesight exam, while 19 percent were either obese or underweight.

The army's recruitment season for the capital runs from June to September, and many students see the military as a suitable employment option upon leaving higher education.

"I would definitely give it a try if I'm fit enough, because many boys dream of becoming a soldier. But it's too unrealistic for me considering my fat belly," said Zhao Chaokun, a college student in Beijing.

The office says the issue of declining fitness affecting the recruitment figures is not new. Last year's figures were also disappointing, with poor eyesight, obesity, urine abnormalities and osteoarthritis among the most prominent issues.

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