BEIJING, Aug. 8, (Chinanews.com) -- Beijing marked the eighth national “Public FitnessDay” event at Tiancunshan Sports Centre on the morning of August 8. Olympicgold medallists Deng Yaping and Chen Zhong attended the event.

With an aim to furtherPublic Fitness Scheme (2016-2020) and boost Chinese athletes’ performance at theRio Olympics, the event centred on the themes of “Public Fitness and Health: JointEfforts in Building the Chinese Dream” and “I am the Champion”. It covered sixsegments: “Public Fitness Day” ceremony, parent-child games, scientific guidanceon fitness, Winter Olympics’ ice and snow interaction, mass cultural/sportsactivity and community sports training. The event featured a total of 22 games,including 7×7 community football, 100-people Baduanjin performance and 1-minuterope skipping challenge. Moreover, in pursuit of the Beijing 2022’s initiativeof “encouraging 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports”, theevent went out of the way to introduce iceless ski track games, allowing the communitymembers to experience the fun of ice and snow sports at their doorstep.

Around 900 localsfrom the Tiancun Road neighbourhood in Haidian district were invited at theBeijing event. It was for the first time that a neighbourhood-level communitysports centre was chosen as main venue for the national “Public Fitness Day” event.

Li Yingchuan,member of the Party Committee of General Administration of Sport of China and Assistantto the Administration Chief, pointed out in his address that the “PublicFitness Day” came to be because of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 but is deeplyrooted in the general public sentiment. Carrying out the “Public Fitness Day”events in the year of the Olympics has a special significance. Public fitnessevents advocate the philosophy of “exercising one hour a day to make everyday afitness day”, besides encouraging everyone to actively take part in sports andrelish health and happiness.

To commemoratethe success of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, the State Council decided todesignate August 8 from 2009 as the “Public Fitness Day”. On this day, publicfitness activities are held around the country, where fitness guidance is offeredfor free and the public is allowed free access to community sports facilities.