China has unveiled a blueprint to build a leading sports nation by 2035, setting targets to boost public fitness, expand the sports industry and enhance elite athletic performance.
The blueprint, approved by the State Council, was issued by China's General Administration of Sport, covering the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
The plan follows the national planning template, spanning 11 sections across three pillars, including general introduction, key tasks and safeguards.
The blueprint lays out strategic measures for the 2026‑2030 period, detailing priorities from national fitness and elite sports to youth training, team ball games, industry growth, culture, exchanges, education, science, talent, anti‑doping, law and safety.
"This plan is of a relatively high level. For the first time, a sports plan has been included in the national-level sector-specific plans, which fully demonstrates the great importance the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council attach to sports work, and also reflects the important role of building a leading sports nation in the overall effort to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects," said Wei Zhenyong, deputy director of the Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations of the General Administration of Sport of China.
The plan sets out comprehensive arrangements for high-quality sports development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with five key indicators.
Under the plan, by 2030, China aims to increase per capita sports venue space to about four square meters, raise the proportion of residents who exercise regularly to around 40 percent, and boost the share of the population with a good level of physical fitness to 31.1 percent.
The plan also calls for China to remain among the world's leading nations in the number of world titles won, while expanding the sports industry's total value to more than seven trillion yuan (1.03 trillion U.S. dollars).
In addition, the plan proposes eight special initiatives, focusing on the construction of public sports venues and facilities, the layout of sports events, the upgrading of training bases, the cultivation of reserve talent for key sports, the upgrading of the outdoor sports industry, innovation in sports science and technology, the development of sports professionals, and anti-doping efforts.
China releases blueprint for building leading sports nation by 2035
