National Fitness Day: Sports training craze in summer vacation spreads across China

Running, cheering and sweating in various sports training venues – this is an increasingly popular way for children in China to spend their summer vacation.

FANG ZICHEN Basketball Trainee "I feel extremely relaxed and happy when I play basketball. I will sweat a lot, but I enjoy being excited on court."

ZHANG DONGLIANG Parent of Basketball Trainee "I think children today have great pressure in study. I hope they have more opportunities to do sports. That's why I sent my son here."

This basketball club was created in 2018 in southwest China's Kunming City. The number of students has increased from four in the first year to over 2,200 now.

What has also soared are market players. So a distinctive development strategy is crucial.

LI NANKAI Founder, Project Speak & Shoot "We're the only club in Kunming, or actually in Yunnan Province that offers foreign coaching. Other than just playing basketball, learning how to shoot, they learn how to speak, how to pronounce, they learn English in a light, effortless way."

YANG JINGHAO Kunming City "Traditional sports like basketball or swimming are still the first choice of sports for many kids and teenagers. But even in this heat, and with winter just months away, training for ice sports has been gaining popularity."

Even in cities like Kunming, known as "the city of eternal spring" for its year-round warm weather, winter sports are becoming a new favorite, sparked by the Beijing Winter Olympics.

SONG MIN Coach, Century Star Ice and Snow Sports Company "I've taught here for about seven years. In the beginning, I had only about 20 students, and now I coach more than 100."

Thirteen-year-old Jin Haichang is a fan of figure skating. He said the sport has benefited him in many ways.

JIN HAICHANG Figure Skating Learner "When skating, I feel like I'm flying like a bird, and this is not whatever sports can offer me. And when I watched the winter Olympics 2022, I saw so many athletes willing to change the world and influence young people to start skating, to start moving."

Many people say the burgeoning training centers are a good option for children to have fun and become healthy. And they hope local governments can also provide more affordable or even free venues for more people to enjoy sports.