New Progress in Sports Arena
In 2004, Chinese athletes won 106 world championships in 27 sporting events. Seven athletes and two teams broke 16 world records on 16 occasions.

Anti-Doping Regulations Effective
On February 3, 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao signed the State Council Decree No.398 to promulgate the Anti-Doping Regulations, which took effect on March 1. The new rule is an embodiment of the Chinese Government's serious attitude toward and firm stance on doping.

Breakthrough at the Olympic and Paralympic Games
China made a historic breakthrough to win 63 medals at the Athens Olympic Games in August 2004. It ranked in an unprecedented second place on the medal tally with 32 golds. Liu Xiang equaled the world record of 12.91 seconds to take gold in the 110m hurdles; the women's volleyball team won its first Olympic title in 20 years; and breakthroughs were also made in other events like tennis, wrestling and canoeing.

In the following Paralympic Games in Athens, China won the most medals, 141 in all, with 63 golds, 46 silvers and 32 bronzes, its best result to date.

First Formula One Event in Shanghai
On September 26, Barrichello of Ferrari won the inaugural Chinese Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai, clocking 1:29:12.420. Shanghai had invested 5 billion yuan to host this Formula One event, which yielded 300 million yuan for the city. The Shanghai International Circuit Co. Ltd. opened its F1 racetrack to the public from March 2005, to give fans a firsthand experience of driving on the 5.451km route.

Flourishing Mass Sports
Since 1995, the State General Administration of Sport has launched a "National Fitness Week" every year. The number of people taking part in this activity has been climbing at nearly 300 million annually. By the end of 2004, with the sport lottery funds, 5,627 new national fitness programs, 23,319 paths for fitness, 5,920 table tennis tables, 13,790 basketball stands and 2,820 fitness-testing facilities had been established in urban and rural areas. There were more than 320,000 mass sports instructors. The system of monitoring and testing people's physique once every five years has been established. In addition, the standards for testing people's physique, the standards for youth physique and the standards for common people's sport exercise provide a scientific basis for people of different ages to test their fitness and assess their exercise requirements. In order to promote the implementation of the essentials of the national fitness program in rural areas, the State General Administration of Sport invested more than 60 million yuan, raised from sales of sport lottery funds, in building fitness facilities in the countryside.