“Outdoor sports should shift from being competition-focused to fun-oriented, be developed into an industry, and form an industry chain,” said Zhang Faqiang, chairman of the Chinese Elderly Sports Association and former deputy head of China’s General Administration of Sport, on the 11th in Zunyi, Guizhou.
On the 11th, the 2013 Guizhou·Zunyi Outdoor Sports Industry Development Seminar was held in Huichuan District, Zunyi.
Zhang Faqiang believes that sports belong to the tertiary industry, and vigorously developing the sports industry is beneficial to economic growth. Infrastructure and national policy are very important. In promoting outdoor sports, there needs to be a shift from competition-focused to fun-oriented activities, encouraging more people to participate, expanding from narrow definitions of outdoor to broader ones, integrating culture into outdoor sports, developing the industry, and forming an industry chain.
Xu Guanghua, head of Huichuan District, vividly described the development of outdoor sports using six major driving forces and four “wheels”: social demand is the internal driving force, social activities are the vitality, social organizations are the safeguard, social benefits are the cohesive force, social status is the booster, and social leadership is the core force. Meanwhile, promoting outdoor sports, spreading outdoor culture, upholding the outdoor spirit, and developing the outdoor industry are the four “wheels” of outdoor sports development.
It is understood that outdoor sports in China originated in the late 20th century, and in the early 21st century, they experienced explosive and rapid growth. In 2005, China’s General Administration of Sport officially approved mountain outdoor sports as a nationally recognized sporting event, managed uniformly by the Chinese Mountaineering Association. In 2008, with the support of the People’s Government of Guizhou Province, the first National Mountain Sports Games were officially launched in Zunyi. The consecutive events in 2009 and 2010 not only elevated outdoor sports into the arena of national comprehensive sports games in terms of scale and prestige, but also turned the event into a local brand for Zunyi, playing a positive role in boosting the city’s overall visibility and image.
Bao Mingxiao, director of the Sports Social Science Research Center at the Sports Science Research Institute of China’s General Administration of Sport, who attended the meeting, said: “Guizhou has huge potential for developing outdoor sports.”
Reporters learned that the 2013 “Lifan · Loushangu Valley Cup” Fifth China Guizhou Zunyi Loushanguan · Hailongtun International Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge will be grandly held in Huichuan District, Zunyi City, Guizhou, China from September 12 to 13. (End)