Shanghai's 5-Year Plan Highlights People's Sports, Industry Integration

Further developing mass-participation sporting events that integrate sports with other industries and upgrading public fitness facilities will become key priorities in Shanghai's 15th Five-Year Plan for sports development, according to a municipal government press conference held on Thursday.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Shanghai made notable progress in sports development. The proportion of residents who regularly participate in physical exercise reached 56.5 percent, and the city added over 7 million square meters of new sports venue space.

Last year, Shanghai's total sports consumption reached 109.3 billion yuan (US$16.25 billion), with per capita annual sports expenditure exceeding 4,397 yuan – ranking among the highest in the country.

Xu Bin, Director of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, stated that in the next five-year cycle (2026-2030), the city will roll out a series of plans to enhance both sports software and hardware, and deepen industry integration.

In addition to continuing to host world-level professional international events, Shanghai will further develop its branded mass-participation fitness events.

"This year's Shanghai Table Tennis Carnival is a successful example of a mass-participation event," said Xu. "Beyond the competition arena, it also reached into campuses, commercial districts, and communities, attracting 120,000 participants and millions of on-site spectators. The event's online viewership exceeded 200 million."

Xu said Shanghai will next host events like the Shanghai Community Football Super League, which are suitable for widespread public participation. The sports authorities will strive to turn them into benchmark mass-fitness events.

On the hardware front, the city will continue to expand the supply of fitness space for residents. Municipal-level sports venues will also undergo a new round of upgrades and renovations.

Shanghai will continue to refine the "15-minute fitness circle," ensuring that residents can access public sports facilities within a 15-minute walk from their homes or offices. The new round of optimization will focus on providing differentiated services tailored to different age groups and varying needs.

Given the scarcity of public land resources in Shanghai's central urban areas, relevant authorities will make full use of building rooftops, spaces under elevated highways, and gaps between residential blocks. They will also gradually encourage state-owned enterprises and public institutions to open their internal sports facilities to the public.

The sports authorities will also coordinate with the education department to ensure that Shanghai students have no less than two hours of comprehensive physical activity per day. Additionally, the city's public evening schools have added more sports-related course offerings.