China publishes guidelines to step up facility construction for mass sports

Two children play on the public fitness facility in Qiyi Village of Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The General Office of the State Council of China on Saturday issued guidelines for strengthening the construction of fitness facilities for mass sports, which offers a blueprint for better implementing the Healthy China initiative and building China into a leading sports nation.

As the paperwork points out, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the national fitness program has continued to advance as the supply and service quality of fitness facilities keep improving. However, pressing issues still exist. For instance, the provision of fitness facilities is insufficient to meet people's growing needs.

To tackle the existing problems, 11 new policy measures are put forward. They include conducting a survey on existing fitness facilities to map out basic conditions and identify shortcomings; developing and releasing a directory or catalogue of non-sport land and buildings available for the construction of fitness facilities; building, renovating and expanding approximate 1,000 sports parks nationwide to offer new fitness spaces for all during the 14th Five-Year period starting from 2021 to 2025; clarifying policies to support private participation in the construction of outdoor fitness facilities.

The guidelines also call for promoting the application of Internet technologies in community sports and building a professional team of social sports instructors who help people do physical exercises in a scientific way. Guidelines on strengthening the functions of public sports venues in epidemic containment and disaster preparedness are specified as well.

The paperwork was formulated by the General Administration of Sport, together with relevant authorities, as instructed and arranged by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.