Beijing moves toward global sports hub

Beijing is capitalizing on its "Dual-Olympic City" status with a bold push to become a global sports powerhouse. The city's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has set the stage for this transformation, leveraging the legacy of the Games to embed sports deep into its cultural fabric, said an official from the municipal bureau of sports, at a recent press briefing.

The initiative is delivering results. According to Shi Fenghua, the bureau's deputy director, the city has significantly expanded its public sports facilities, with per capita sports area now at 3.26 square meters. Meanwhile, over 53% of residents are regularly active, with nearly 100,000 community sports events drawing over 36 million participations in the past five years.

Youth development has been a key focus. The city guarantees two hours of daily physical activity for students and is vigorously promoting soccer, basketball, and volleyball through specialized youth leagues. The "Hundred Teams Cup" soccer tournament has exploded into an event attended by over 1,000 teams, while basketball leagues now cover all age groups of students.

Professional sports are also thriving. After breaking the winter sports gold medal drought at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Beijing athletes continued to shine at the Paris Summer Games, bringing home an impressive five golds, two silvers, and one bronze. 

The city's events are becoming blockbusters. A roster of 100 high-profile sporting events is cementing Beijing's status as a world-class sports hub while offering a packed calendar. The recent China Open and WTT China Smash saw record-breaking ticket sales of nearly 180 million yuan ($25.27 million). The venues and surrounding areas attracted over 1.4 million visitors, while online exposure soared to over 23 billion views, reaching an audience of 1.3 billion people globally.

Looking ahead, Beijing plans to expand its sports event system, aiming to create even more internationally recognized competitions. This will integrate sports with the city's cultural and tourism industries, strengthening its influence on the global stage, said Shi.