In the past month or so, China has seen multiple incidents of personal injury and fatalities related to outdoor sports. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if those involved had greater safety awareness. In recent years, as living standards in China have improved, the number of people participating in various sports activities—especially outdoor sports—has grown rapidly. However, this has also been accompanied by a surge in tragic personal injuries. Industry experts point out that when engaging in high-risk sports, many Chinese lack the necessary safety awareness, which stems from not having the right mindset about sports. This, in turn, is linked to the lack of sports education in society, especially in schools.
Low safety awareness leads to multiple accidents
On New Year’s Day, an accident occurred during Fuzhou’s annual winter swimming event. A man over 70 years old suddenly felt unwell after entering the water. Despite rescue efforts by companions and medical personnel, he unfortunately passed away. According to Fujian media reports, the head of the local winter swimming association explained that the deceased had previous winter swimming experience but hadn’t swum outdoors for a long time, only in indoor pools. The low water temperature of the Min River in Fuzhou may have triggered a heart attack. The local swimming association had advised people over 70 not to participate in the Min River winter swim, but the man did not heed the warning.
Just two days before the accident at the Fuzhou winter swimming event, an incident occurred in Chashan Bamboo Sea, Yongchuan, Chongqing, where a group of hikers were attacked by wild animals while camping. According to Chongqing media, an 18-year-old hiker originally planned to visit Yongchuan Hot Springs but was attracted by the scenery in Chashan Bamboo Sea and decided to camp overnight there. Unexpectedly, after setting up camp on the mountaintop, he was attacked by wild animals. With unstable mobile phone signals, the hiker sent out mass text messages for help. His mother, upon receiving the message, immediately called the police. The Yongchuan Fire Brigade dispatched eight officers to rescue him on the mountain, eventually helping the hiker escape safely.
On December 23 last year, Hebei police confirmed that two hikers who had gone missing in the Ling Mountain area of Beijing’s Mentougou District had unfortunately died. On December 22, the Beijing Fire Department received a distress call stating that two hikers from a Beijing-based outdoor sports club organizing a hike in Ling Mountain were stranded on the mountain without any equipment or food. Starting that afternoon, temperatures in the Ling Mountain area dropped sharply, accompanied by strong winds of up to Force 7 and heavy snowfall, with snow accumulating above knee level, making the rescue extremely difficult. At noon on December 23, Hebei police finally found the bodies of the two deceased hikers.
This was the second incident within a month in which hikers died due to severe weather. On November 27, more than ten hikers from Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi encountered a blizzard while crossing Aoshan Mountain in Taibai County, Shaanxi Province. Three of them ultimately lost their lives.
Sports tragedies are not unavoidable
More than a month has passed since the two tragedies, yet discussions about the incidents continue on major outdoor websites in China. Many hikers believe that the main causes of these accidents were a lack of safety awareness and underestimation of potential dangers.
The tragedies are heartbreaking, but similar incidents keep happening.
Did the hiker from Chongqing who camped overnight in Chashan Bamboo Sea know that spontaneously setting up camp in the wild is a big no-no in outdoor sports? Did the elderly man who tragically passed away during the Fuzhou winter swim understand that winter swimming requires gradual progression and should never be done with blind confidence?
On several well-known domestic outdoor forums, posts related to safety are often pinned at the top, and many hikers actively participate in asking questions and discussions. However, a veteran hiker told reporters: “In actual outdoor activities, there are plenty of people who take risks lightly or knowingly engage in behavior with potential ‘dangers’ but still choose to push forward. Many only realize the severity of the consequences when they truly encounter a ‘dangerous’ situation—but such events often result in serious injuries or even death.”
Building safety awareness should start from childhood
According to statistics from the Chinese Mountaineering Association and the Chinese Ski Association, since the 21st century, participation in sports such as mountaineering, outdoor activities, and skiing has expanded rapidly in China, but accidental injuries have also increased exponentially. While ordinary participants usually receive some form of safety education, instilling a true sense of safety in them is not easy.
“To help someone develop the correct concept of sports, it must start from a young age,” said Ren Hai, a professor at Beijing Sport University. “But our school sports programs don’t reflect this educational value.”
A child who is exposed to and participates in various sports from a young age will naturally develop a sense of sports safety in their mind, which is entirely different from learning about sports safety knowledge in adulthood.
When many universities in China recently canceled long-distance running, Yu Shanshu, vice president of Tianjin University of Sport, said in an interview: “Schools avoiding potentially risky sports like long-distance running due to safety concerns is actually a short-sighted approach. Because the fewer sports students participate in during their developmental years, the more negative impact they will face in adulthood.”
This impact is not only reflected in the widely discussed issue of declining student physical fitness but also in the development of proper and healthy sports habits.
A skiing coach in China once described a phenomenon: with the rise of the “skiing craze,” many young Chinese have started learning to ski every year. Some take pride in how quickly they can advance to intermediate or advanced slopes, leading to frequent injury incidents. The coach, who once studied at a ski resort in Austria, noticed that locals rarely dare to take such “risks.” Children there start skiing as early as ages five or six—not only with parents but also through school programs. Safe and standardized skiing becomes a deeply ingrained mindset from childhood.
“The more exposure, participation, and understanding one has of sports, the better one can comprehend the risks involved and establish appropriate preventive awareness. Just like on ski slopes, those who take risks are often beginners,” the skiing coach told reporters.
Nowadays, Chinese children, due to limited exposure to sports, may seem safer, but this actually hinders the formation of sports safety awareness. When they later encounter certain higher-risk sports, many have no idea how severe the consequences of a risky action might be.