The promotion of mass sports has become a priority as Chengyang aims to become the sporting mecca of its region.

To get local residents more involved in sports and exercising, the government of Chengyang invested 160 million yuan ($25.7 million) to build 20 sports parks equipped with 300m or 400m running tracks this year.

By the end of the year, Chengyang will have 35 sports parks, which will feature athletic fields, basketball courts and gate ball (a sport similar to croquet) fields. They will be open to the public for free and make it possible for locals to reach a place to exercise within a 10 to 15-minute walk.

More than 80 percent of Chengyang's 80 public schools have soccer fields, which are also open to the public, for free, outside of school hours.

Mountain climbing is also popular in Chengyang. The government has invested more than 50 million yuan to build public climbing paths over more than 400 km. The district has held a national mountaineering meeting for the past four years and more than 1.2 million participants have taken part each year.

Besides the upgrading of facilities, the city's sports festival, held from March to June each year, is an extremely popular event.

"The sports meeting is always warmly welcomed by communities, companies and also foreigners living in Chengyang," said Xu Lihua, deputy director of the bureau of education and sports of Chengyang district.

"Every year, with the sports meeting approaching, people ask us when it will start and where it will be held."

According to Xu, apart from the progress in promoting mass sports, Chengyang has also distinguished itself by developing athletes and a vibrant sports industry.

Athletes from Chengyang won 68 gold medals at the 22nd Provincial Games in Shandong in 2010, two gold medals at the 2009 National Games and one gold at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Meanwhile, Chengyang's sports lotteries have topped the sales volume for six consecutive years among counties and districts in Shandong province, and the sales figure this year was already close to 300 million by mid-October.

(China Daily 11/25/2012 page8)