Sports and leisure industrial growth drawing renown

A cradle for modern sailing and marine sports in China, Qingdao in Shandong province aims to be a renowned city for leisure events and all kinds of sports in the near future, a local official has said.

Ji Gaoshang, director of the Qingdao Sports Bureau, said the city has both good natural and cultural environments in developing sports, with its humid climate, various types of mountains, crystal sea and magnificent city views.

"We could try rock climbing, hiking and skiing in mountainous areas and enjoy sailing, boating, swimming and beach football along the seashore," Ji said.

One recent global event is the second act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series that ended on May 1, with the team Alinghi from Switzerland winning the championship.

The race was part of the Mazarin Cup, with seven international teams from Asia, Europe and Oceania competing for glory on the waters of Qingdao over four days.

Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-skipper and helm of Alinghi, said the city is a great place for sailing.

He said that they won the event last year but they need to stay focused, keep learning and push hard if they are to enjoy that success again in the future.

To answer the country's call for national fitness, Qing-dao encourages everyone to join in sports activities and plans to invest more in building infrastructure.

Its rapid development of competitive sports has added momentum to the city's economic growth.

Last year, the total sports industry output of Qingdao was 41 billion yuan ($6 billion) with an added value of 14 billion yuan. The government renovated 238 large and medium-sized sports facilities, including 108 multifunctional sports courts.

To date, Qingdao's sports field area per capita has reached 2.5 square meters, with more than 48.5 percent of residents regularly exercising.

Ji said the scale of the city's sports industry will surpass 100 billion yuan by 2025.

"This is not only a goal but also a responsibility for us. We have already fostered many projects based on leisure and the sea, such as building the North China Sea Leisure Sports Tourism Center with China Travel Service Hong Kong," he said.

"We view sailing as a city brand for Qingdao, and it will boost related industries, including tourism, exhibition and commerce," Ji said.

In addition to sea sports, Qingdao also strives to improve its football charm.

Ji said the city set up 249 cage football fields in 2015 and 2016, and will build another 500 during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20).

wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn