China has launched an ambitious campaign to turn some 7,000 swimming pools nationwide into professional clubs, as the sport's first ever joint-venture club was founded in Beijing yesterday.

Sanctioned by the China Swimming Association, the CSA-Kyoei Swimming Club is located in the Beijing Sports Fitness Center in the southeastern part of the capital.

It is to be run jointly by the Tokyo-based Kyoei Swimming Club Machida and the Social Sports Center of the Beijing Sports Bureau.

"In establishing the club, we are doing something down-to-earth to apply the nationwide efforts to encourage physical fitness for all," said Shang Xiutang, vice president of the CSA.

He said with the rapid progress of China's economy during the last two decades, the country's swimming population was on a steady rise.

"This has laid a solid foundation for establishing professional swimming clubs. But we lack experience in the management of such clubs," he admitted.

"It is expected that the new Beijing club, equipped with up-to-date gear and advanced management, could serve as a model for other Chinese pools and clubs across the country.

"We hope they could learn something from us and turn themselves step-by-step into highly efficient and satisfying pro clubs," Shang added.

Many swimming pools have been owned and run by the state or local sports authorities before reforms taken in the last decade turned some into privately managed operations.

But many have been poorly run, serving simply as aquatic entertainment centers with such main function as to teach children the basic swimming techniques.

The new Beijing club has hired well-trained coaches and instructors from both the Japanese club and among former Chinese swimmers. Kikuta Zhaohui, vice chairperson of the new club's management committee and head instructor, is a former member of the Beijing swimming team.

Before immigrating to Japan she had been a multiple national champion and winner of the 100-meter breastroke and 200-meter relay events respectively at the 1985 Asia and Pacific age-group swimming championships in Hong Kong.

"I am glad to provide service to swimmers in my native country," she said after the club's founding ceremony yesterday.

"With high-level instruction and coaching, I am confident that we can provide safety-first, human-oriented, top-quality service to satisfy club members," she added.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2003)