China unveils new national fitness plan

Jun 29, 2016 Blog 0

The Chinese government released a plan to increase the health and fitness of the Chinese people as well as grow the sports industry.

According to a statement from the Chinese government, the plan aims to increase the number of people engaged in regular physical activity and improve the general health of the population by 2020. To do so, the government will invest in the construction of new public sports facilities such as fitness centers, sports venues and stadiums, and implement fitness and sports activities programs.

Encouraging physical activity and sports will also increase demand for sports products, facilities and events, providing an opportunity for economic growth, the statement said.

“Compared with the program for the last five years, we have changed the perspective about sports. Now we believe sports should be integrated with education, culture, tourism and medical industry,” Liu Guoyong, an official of General Administration of Sport of China, said.

Eric Schiffer discusses China’s fitness push

For more on China’s increased focus on fitness and sports, CCTV America’s Susan Roberts spoke to Eric Schiffer, chairman and CEO of Patriarch Equity.

Schiffer shared his thoughts on how China’s fitness push will help large sports retailers grow their market shares, what other industries outside of sports retailers are bound to thrive and how Chinese fitness brands will compete with internationally renowned ones, such as Nike.

Childhood obesity in China has been increasing. A 2016 study by the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology showed that between 1985 and 2014, obesity among children 7 to 18 years old in Shandong province, China, increased from and 0.03 to 17.2 percent in boys and from 0.12 to 9.11 percent in girls. A 2014 study by the University of Washington also found that 28.3 percent of China’s population is obese.

The plan targets teenagers and intends to increase physical education and sports in schools, the statement said.

According to research reports, sales of indoor fitness apparel and revenue from fitness centers have been increasing. The plan aims to allow continued growth in the sports-related industries, the statement said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has publicly expressed his desire for China to become a “world football (soccer) superpower,” and China also released a plan in April to increase football education through specialized football schools and the construction of new pitches.

As a result of the new fitness plan, the scale of sports consumption is expected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan (about $2.25 billion), according to the statement.

Sources : Cctv-america