Feature: How Chinese schools are ramping up sporting activities after Paris Olympics

BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) — With the autumn semester for Chinese schools now nearly two weeks old, many Olympic medalists shared their stories in classes, inspiring students to pursue their dreams, while colorful sporting activities have been heavily involved in school life.
19-year-old Sheng Lihao, who paired up with fellow teenager Huang Yuting to clinch the first gold of the Paris Olympic Games in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, delivered a speech to students in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province.
“Preparation is the key. Just keep trying to make progress step by step. It’s like adjusting the rifle scope to hit the target,” Sheng noted. “Always believe in yourself and never give up.”
China’s Paris 2024 Olympic weightlifting champion Hou Zhihui and wrestling bronze medalist Hong Kexin visited schools in Beijing and Nanjing, respectively. They encouraged the younger generations to embrace life with passion and deal with difficulties with determination and persistence.
Olympic elements have also been assimilated into various courses, including a review of China’s modern Olympic history, analysis of commentaries related to the Games in Chinese writing classes, and an interview of tennis gold medalist Zheng Qinwen being used to teach English listening classes.
At Panlong Primary School in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, school principal Gao Hui led students to recall heartfelt moments at the Paris Olympics. “I was excited to see Chinese swimmers beat their American rivals in the men’s 4x100m medley relay. That was thrilling,” said Tang Ziyao, a third-grader.
“The stories of striving for the best and winning gold medals touched our students a lot. They felt a sense of patriotism, set these athletes as examples, and became motivated to achieve their own goals,” Gao remarked.
This semester, schools in Shenzhen arranged PE classes every day and cooperated with sports venues and parks nearby to provide more space for students to exercise. According to local authorities, the number of PE teachers in Shenzhen’s primary and middle schools has reached 11,000, with a year-on-year increase of 25.8 percent.
Besides PE classes, Chinese students now have more time to participate in outdoor activities at school. In cities such as Beijing, Tianjin and Qingdao, a policy has been introduced to extend the original 10-minute break between classes to 15 minutes.
Schools will make tailored and detailed plans accordingly to add necessary sports equipment on campus to provide a more suitable recess environment for students, said the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.
Beijing No. 161 High School is one of the first to implement the 15-minute break. As the bell rang, a group of students grabbed a basketball and rushed onto the court. “The prolonged inter-class break is like an overtime in which I can make more shots,” said student Fan Yusen.
“There are always students wanting to challenge us,” the school’s PE teacher Ma Shaobo said with a smile. “We are not only managers but also participants during the 15-minute breaks.”
Liu Yu, vice dean of Beijing No. 161 High School, found that more children came to the playground to play basketball, football, table tennis, badminton and to jump rope. “Indeed, it is a positive trend,” she remarked.
“Outdoor activities can further promote the physical and mental well-being of students, which also helps prevent and manage shortsightedness,” said Wang Zongping, a professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology. ■