The 2026 "National Fitness Day" National Main Venue (Hunan) series of activities kicked off  in Yongzhou on August 9. More than ten mass sports events and science popularization activities will be held throughout August, catering to various groups including seniors and youth. The move aims to allow people of all ages and with different interests to find sports activities suitable for them and share the benefits of public sports services.

The venue buzzed with energy as ten outstanding performances, including sports dance, fitness ball exercises, taekwondo, and roliball, were staged one after another. Gao Xiang, a player from the Hunan Football League, called on the audience to embrace sports with passion, lay a foundation for health through self-discipline, and encourage everyone to participate in fitness and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

In recent years, Yongzhou's sports events have gained growing recognition. The city has successfully hosted over 80 mass events at provincial-level and above such as the China Dragon Boat Open and the China Camping Conference, and innovatively organized more than 100 distinctive cultural and sports activities like the "Beautiful Yongzhou" Grand Trek and the Marathon at the source of the Xiangjiang River, building a localized and diversified mass activity system. Last year, the Yongzhou team won the Hunan Football League championship, generating over 20 billion views across all online platforms and directly driving consumption of over 2.1 billion CNY. This fully showcases the city's spirit and activated fitness momentum across the entire region.

Currently, Yongzhou City has built 19,696 sports venues, with a per capita sports area of 2.99 square meters. Public fitness facilities are available in all counties, townships, and villages, and a 15-minute fitness circle in urban communities has been fully established. There are 2.42 social sports instructors per thousand people. 

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.
 
Translator: Xiao Juan
 
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn