Outdoor sports are booming in China, but a rescue system needs to be established urgently

　　In recent years, outdoor sports have become popular, but the influx of many untrained individuals has led to frequent accidents. Provincial CPPCC member Li Guangxi proposed in a motion that Guangdong should improve its outdoor sports rescue system as soon as possible. The Provincial Sports Bureau responded that there are currently many issues and shortcomings in outdoor sports rescue services, and efforts will be made to establish a rescue system promptly, following the principle of relying on civilian self-rescue first before involving national public resources.

　　Outdoor sports, including hiking, rock climbing, cliff rappelling, camping in the wild, cookouts, orienteering, stream exploration, and adventure activities, often carry certain risks. When dangers occur, rescue services are needed to provide support.

　　Li Guangxi said that the influx of inexperienced individuals into outdoor sports has increased the risks. For example, in 2012, there were 22 outdoor sports accidents in Shenzhen involving 91 people, resulting in 11 deaths. The increasing number of risk incidents in outdoor sports poses a challenge to government departments that already lack sufficient rescue resources.

　　Li Guangxi noted that outdoor sports rescues generally rely on local public service resources. Although some areas have professional civilian outdoor rescue teams offering paid services, these remain unregulated. Outdoor rescues are highly specialized and physically demanding, with both rescuers and those being rescued facing significant danger.

　　Organizing outdoor rescues requires routine preparation for emergency deployment, consuming substantial public service resources. Currently, in areas where the public engages in outdoor sports, it is impossible to impose restrictions or predict risk incidents. Therefore, the government needs to clearly define the scope, form, and operational standards of outdoor sports rescue as a public service to reduce the waste of public resources caused by unregulated outdoor activities.

　　Li Guangxi suggested conducting surveys, statistics, classification, and grading of outdoor sports rescue resources (both governmental and civilian) across the province. A roadmap for building Guangdong’s outdoor sports rescue services should be developed, defining the scope, form, content, and procedures of public outdoor rescues. Based on local conditions, development plans for outdoor sports rescue services should be formulated.

　　For accidents and consequences caused by risky actions of untrained individuals, responsibilities within the defined scope of the roadmap and development plan should be clarified. This will serve as the basis for handling individuals involved in non-liability accidents and recovering economic losses caused by such incidents.

　　The Provincial Sports Bureau responded that outdoor sports rescue services are a complex, systematic, and dangerous task. In recent years, although relevant departments in Guangdong have done some work in outdoor sports rescue, many issues and shortcomings remain.

　　The Provincial Sports Bureau stated that it will establish and improve the outdoor sports rescue mechanism. Going forward, the bureau will follow the principle of government leadership and active public participation, guiding the establishment of a rescue mechanism involving local governments, national rescue forces (military, police), and civilian rescue teams (sports associations, volunteer organizations). Rescues will be carried out according to the principle of prioritizing civilian self-rescue before mobilizing national public resources, including emergency response, on-site rescue, and post-rescue care.

　　At the same time, the Provincial Sports Bureau will also establish an outdoor sports risk prevention and control system. It will introduce an outdoor adventure tourism declaration system, comprehensively assessing applicants’ qualifications, physical fitness, equipment readiness, and current weather conditions before approval. A tour guide qualification certification system will be established, requiring organizers and initiators to have proper credentials and fulfill written risk disclosure obligations, with clear accountability. Efforts will be made to promote knowledge about outdoor exploration, wilderness survival, and emergency response to reduce casualties. The outdoor adventure insurance system will also be improved to provide protection for outdoor sports participants and rescue personnel.