More sports facilities available in Guanshanhu

A school in Guanshanhu district, Guiyang opens its sports facilities to the public on Nov 20. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Guanshanhu district in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has utilized various resources to increase public access to free or low-cost sports facilities, aiming to promote health and wellness in the community.

The first phase of the initiative has established sports fields and sports equipment in 82 primary and secondary schools for public use during non-school hours, according to statistics released on Nov 20.

Some schools were picked to receive extra government funding to install a remote management system and facility maintenance as well as purchase public liability accident insurance. A total of 1.95 million yuan ($306,150) has been invested in the project.

Meanwhile, there are more and more fitness and sports venues being put into use such as the People's Fitness Center. It opened in the Guiyang Olympics Sports Center on Nov 2. Badminton courts, ping pong tables, and basketball courts can be used for free or at a very low fee within a fixed timeframe.

The Shuhua Smart Fitness Experience Center that opened in October even provides free fitness training and guidance.

However, the focus has now shifted to reusing idle venues. "There are 63 vacant sites with about 50,000 square meters that can be transformed into areas for sports and fitness," said Wu Kunling, deputy head of Guanshanhu district.

As for maintenance of existing sports facilities, the Guiyang Sports Bureau and Guiyang Big Data Industry Group have together developed a WeChat mini-program through which users can submit items that need repair.

"It is currently under trial operation and will be promoted for widespread use by the end of this year," said Wang Qihua, head of the mass sports division of the Guiyang Sports Bureau.