Teenagers' physical fitness in China has been declining for 25 years. This is a matter of broad and universal significance to society as a whole and deserves attention. Strengthening physical education should receive more and louder calls during the Two Sessions.
This year’s National Two Sessions have concluded — were sports issues discussed? There should have been. Even the Government Work Report mentioned the development of national fitness, competitive sports, and the sports industry. Political media reporting on the Two Sessions mostly focus on major state affairs, and it's hard for sports-related topics to make the cut. What discussions took place at the sessions regarding the current state and development of sports? Were there any motions or proposals concerning national physical health? These topics only occasionally appear in non-political media and online sources.
Each year during the Two Sessions, most sports-related proposals and group discussion speeches mainly reflect internal issues within the sports community and often lack strong social relevance. Not to mention compared to politics, economics, culture, education, and healthcare — even when it comes to people’s daily lives, the focus on healthy living is primarily on medical care and the environment, not on sports and fitness.
Put another way, the sports sector itself hasn’t done enough — some problems are deeply entrenched and not easily resolved. Simply raising these issues at the Two Sessions isn’t enough. For example, a delegate proposed “regarding making the selection system more transparent and institutionalized, upholding the basic principles of fairness and justice in the Olympics, and protecting athletes’ rights and interests.” The reason this proposal didn’t gain widespread support wasn't because it required collective societal attention or government coordination to resolve — it was an issue rooted within the sports community itself.
Sports is a cultural phenomenon that emerges alongside social civilization and progress, reflecting people’s spiritual and cultural quality of life. Teenagers' physical health levels in China have been declining for 25 years — such a major issue surely deserves serious discussion and study at the sessions, and further action to promote physical exercise among youth. If the education authorities took responsibility for students’ physical health, and if representatives and committee members from the education sector spoke out loudly at the Two Sessions — starting with themselves, starting now, and doing so for the future of our country and nation by strengthening physical education — that would truly be in line with public sentiment and of immeasurable merit. Unfortunately, such voices are too few and not loud enough.
Don’t wait until children’s physical condition worsens before sports gains widespread attention. After all, this is not a narrowly scoped, highly specialized issue, but rather one of broad and universal importance to society as a whole.