Charming orienteering, colorful Suzhou. On December 3, the China Orienteering Open · Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Sub-Station Tournament, jointly organized by the Aviation Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Orienteering Association, grandly commenced at the Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Tourism Resort in Suzhou. Nearly 2,000 professional athletes and outdoor enthusiasts from nearly twenty provinces and cities across the country gathered at the beautiful shores of Yangcheng Lake to launch the event. Jiang Yulong, Director of the Radio Orienteering Department of the Aviation Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Secretary-General of the Chinese Orienteering Association, Yuan Yuxiang, Vice President of Suzhou Industrial Park Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Development and Construction Co., Ltd., Tan Xiaoping, Director of the Popularization and Development Committee of the Chinese Orienteering Association and General Manager of Beijing L ejia Ye Sports Development Co., Ltd., as well as Cao Hengfeng, Deputy District Chief of Huangshan District People’s Government, Luo Yili, Vice Chairman of the Huangshan District CPPCC, Yang Jun, Director of the Huangshan District Sports Bureau and President of the Sports Federation—all leaders and guests from the finals area—attended the event and delivered speeches.
The competition was held over two days, featuring five events, including the “Sprint Orienteering,” “100m Orienteering,” and “Middle Distance Orienteering” for the professional competitive group, as well as the “Rainbow Orienteering Run” and “Bike Orienteering” specially designed for fitness groups to promote orienteering knowledge. Outdoor sports enthusiasts from surrounding provinces and cities showed great enthusiasm for the Rainbow Orienteering Run. In post-race media interviews, they said: “We run while locating checkpoints on the map. This sport that combines physical activity with intellect is more interesting than regular running and really boosts everyone’s motivation to participate.” An online version of the tournament was also launched in Beijing and Shenzhen, allowing orienteering fans who couldn’t make it to the Yangcheng Lake Peninsula to complete the event virtually and still receive finisher medals and certificates.
After two days of intense competition, Du Jianhua from Tianjin University of Finance and Economics and Cheng Qianting from Capital Normal University won the men’s and women’s elite adult group championships respectively, while Liang Yijian from China University of Mining and Technology and Ouyang Qi from Capital Normal University claimed the men’s and women’s elite youth group titles.
Recently, government policy documents such as the “13th Five-Year Plan for the Sports Industry” and the “Guidelines on Accelerating the Development of Lifestyle Service Industries to Promote Upgrading of Consumption Structure” issued by the State Council have emphasized the vigorous development of sports services, using natural and cultural resources to create international and regional brand competitions. Over the past two years, the staging of a series of orienteering events marks the beginning of a booming era for orienteering in China. Concepts such as “Internet+” and smart tourism have integrated with the sports industry, leading to a gradual increase in both the scale and variety of events. As public demand for sports grows, so does the data supporting national fitness initiatives.
Orienteering is not constrained by terrain, venue conditions, or weather, and can be conducted in mountains, urban parks, ancient towns, deserts, streams, and other environments through activities such as foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, ski orienteering, stream orienteering, and kayak orienteering. The strong inclusiveness of orienteering aligns perfectly with the strategy outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan for the Sports Industry to vigorously develop sports tourism and support qualified scenic areas in expanding their sports tourism offerings, thereby creating internationally renowned tourist cities that highlight local characteristics.
Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Tourism Resort is located on the north side of Suzhou Industrial Park and the southern shore of Yangcheng Lake, covering a total area of 24.39 square kilometers, including approximately 9 square kilometers of water area. It is among the first batch of national-level tourism resorts and is being developed into a modern, international, and landscaped waterfront leisure and wellness destination. The resort boasts comprehensive facilities and services, including a 50-kilometer lakeside cycling trail, the national 4A-level scenic spot “Chongyuan Temple,” the tallest Catholic church in China, China’s first authentic outlet mall “Yi’Oule,” as well as landscape attractions like Lianchi Lake Park, Xianying Lake Park, and Yunshan Lake Park, all of which embody the idyllic charm of being “geographically close to the city yet psychologically far from it.”
Keeping up with the trend of sports tourism, Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Tourism Resort has actively developed fashionable sports and leisure products in recent years, offering low-carbon, healthy, and joyful lakeside sports experiences for domestic tourists and sports enthusiasts. Leveraging the resort’s stunning natural scenery and ecological parks such as Lianchi Lake, the Yangcheng Lake Peninsula Tourism Resort has launched the “Peninsula Orienteering” park orienteering events, creating a nature-oriented, fashionable leisure sport and turning the shores of Yangcheng Lake into an exciting treasure hunt. It has now become a popular destination for Suzhou residents and nearby tourists to participate in and experience orienteering.
The 2016 finals will be held at Tujv Camping Site in Huangshan City, Anhui Province. Winners from the five tournaments throughout the year will compete there. In the future, the China Orienteering Open will continue to build regional and international branded sports tourism events, promoting the high-end and quality development of the sports tourism industry, and enhancing the economic benefits of the “eco-industry.”