Running, cycling the most popular sports in Shanghai: report
Every one out of two Shanghai citizens takes part in regular sports activities, while walking, running and cycling are among the most popular, according to a recent report by the Shanghai Sports Bureau.
The annual report aims to monitor the fitness of Shanghai citizens, identify problems and eventually help improve life and health.
According to a survey done through 2022, 50.1 percent of Shanghai citizens take part in sports and exercise regularly – a slight increase compared with the 49 percent in 2021.
Half of Shanghai citizens take part in regular sports and exercise.
Most hope regular sports can help them stay healthy and fit, while others rely on sports to release pressure and stress.
Walking, running and cycling are the most popular sports, followed by badminton and swimming.
A batch of new sports venues and facilities have been constructed in the past year, including 12 city sports centers, 10 community sports centers, 54 health centers for the elder, 20 football pitches, 186 badminton courts, 147 fitness trails and 3 sports parks, covering a total area of 1.48 million square meters.
The per-capita sports area for Shanghai citizens increased to 2.51 square meters in 2022 from 2.44 square meters in 2021.
More community sports facilities have been built.
The sports bureau is also encouraging residents to visit sports venues more often by issuing a number of sports vouchers.
"There is still room for improvement, including the per-capita space of sports venue," said Dai Jian, a professor at the Shanghai University of Sport.
"We are happy to see a steady increase in the number of citizens who have started or continued to take part in sports activities on a regular basis. But they don't always get scientific guidance.
Meeting their varied needs and giving them more convenient access to venues, as well as the cultivation of social sport instructors, are all issues that require further discussion," he said.
Badminton is the most popular racket sport among Shanghai citizens.
Currently, Shanghai has about 62,000 registered social sport instructors, accounting for 2.5‰ of the city's permanent resident population.
They give online and offline courses to help citizens find proper and scientific exercise methods.
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