China will implement a national fitness strategy and improve public services regarding national fitness, according to a circular on national fitness during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) released by the State Council on July 23.
By 2030, according to the circular, per capita sports venue space is planned to reach about four square meters, with 3.3 social sports instructors for every 1000 people, while the proportion of residents who exercise regularly will be raised to around 40 percent.
The program outlined key tasks in 10 areas: refining the national fitness institutional system, further enhancing the construction of public fitness venues and facilities in local communities, holding a diverse array of sports events with participation by the general public, improving national fitness services, strengthening the capability to provide scientific fitness instruction services, leveraging artificial intelligence to boost the development of national fitness, meeting the diverse fitness needs of different population groups, fostering a national fitness culture, leveraging the diverse functions and comprehensive value of national fitness, and strengthening safety management for national fitness programs.
For institutional systems, theoretical research on national fitness policies will be advanced to promote their alignment with policies concerning people’s wellbeing in other fields. Fitness venues and facilities for national fitness will be included in local territorial spatial plans. The layout of venues and facilities will be aligned with the total amount, structure, and flow trends of permanent residents.
In terms of service networks of organizations, the country will optimize the operation mechanism of sports federation at all levels, with the synergy of various sports associations. For scientific fitness instructions, the country will regularly conduct fitness monitoring, national tests for physical exercise standards, students’ fitness standard tests, and public fitness activities surveys.
Efforts will be made to leverage artificial intelligence to boost the development of national fitness by accelerating AI applications in public sports facilities, sporting events, fitness instructions, and promotional campaigns, encouraging public sports venues to initiate digital and intelligent upgrades in correspondence to actual needs, while actively exploring organizing mass sporting events both online and offline.
To meet the diverse fitness needs of different population groups, China will innovate fitness models tailored for seniors to promote health, develop specialized fitness programs and products for older adults, and improve community-based multi-functional fitness facilities.
Action plans will be rolled out to improve children and adolescents' weight management, vision health, mental well-being, bone health and oral hygiene, and fully leverage the role of sports in boosting physical and mental health. Women will be encouraged to take part in national fitness activities, and fitness and sports programs for people with disabilities will also be promoted.
Measures will be rolled out to foster a mass fitness culture by integrating core socialist values into national fitness activities, widely promoting the Chinese sporting spirit and advocating for healthy lifestyles in order to raise public awareness of active physical exercise and scientific dietary habits, while advancing mental health education.
The plan also highlights leveraging the diverse functions and comprehensive value of national fitness and specifies that safety management for national fitness programs should be strengthened.
