Sport chiefs to press ahead with soccer reforms

The top sport body has vowed to push forward reforms of the way soccer is run while promoting mass participation in the game as the country aims to become a major participant on the world stage.

The country is shifting its focus from winning gold medals to improving mass fitness and well-being, and the less-developed status of high-profile sports such as soccer has become a pressing issue. Disappointing performances by national teams and the decline of the talent pool is causing concern among the public and the nation's leaders.

Comprehensive measures should be taken to reform the State-run management structure to allow professional leagues and the school system to prosper in a favorable environment and raise the game's profile, delegates at a symposium on sports development were told on Saturday.