Witness the fitness as nation shapes a healthier future

The first National Sports Publicity Week took place from Aug 7-13, with grassroots activities taking place across China to encourage people to get active.  CHINA DAILY

The success of the first National Sports Publicity Week (Aug 7-13) has encouraged millions of people across China to get off the sofa and get active.

As part of China's national fitness campaign, numerous online and offline grassroots activities were organized across the country.

On Aug 8's National Fitness Day alone, over 6.5 million people took part in more than 24,000 exercise activities, according to the General Administration of Sport of China.

Volunteers played a huge role in ensuring the success of the week, staging free training sessions and helping to organize activities that promote healthier living and scientific training methods.

In Zhejiang province, volunteers from over 50 grassroots organizations organized activities in sports such as wushu, cycling, swimming and running.

Similar activities were also held in Hubei province. Currently, Hubei has more than 160,000 grassroots volunteer sports instructors and coaches. Each year, they participate in over 200 grassroots activities, helping to attract over 1 million people to sports.

In Kunming, Yunnan province, hundreds of senior citizens took part in a jogging event at Tuodong Sports Center, where local resident Zhao Saizhu was proud to be among the top finishers.

"I'm over 70 years old, and this is actually the first time that I've visited the sports center, which is open to us for free. I really cherish this chance, and I especially want to thank those instructors and volunteers who care a lot about our senior citizens," said Zhao.

"I intend to keep running half an hour a day. It helps me to relax. These days, we have better and better support in regard to fitness and sports. So I have no reason to stop exercising."

Tuodong Sports Center was one of the many high-quality venues open to the public across the nation.

Shanghai, for instance, organized over 260 sports and fitness activities and more than 50 sports culture fairs during National Sports Publicity Week, with more than 800 venues offering free admission to local residents.

In the city's Putuo district, 12 sports venues, 10 fitness centers and 10 outdoor courts were open to citizens on National Fitness Day, while a total of 47 sports venues were free to enter in the city's northern Baoshan district.