With events like the New Year Mass Fitness Run, Beautiful Countryside Fitness Walk, Coastal Leisure Sports Games, and Sanjiang Riverside Walking Festival, the vibrant atmosphere of mass fitness in Ningbo continues into the final month of 2024. According to incomplete statistics from the Ningbo Mass Fitness Guidance Center, as of the end of November, over 3,640 fitness events have been held across Ningbo and its 10 districts (counties and cities), with participation exceeding 2 million people.
At the start of the year, the New Year Mass Fitness Run kicked off at Ningbo Citizen Square under the theme “Love Fitness, Enjoy Health.” Nearly 10,000 citizens joined the joyful run, welcoming the first rays of 2024 with energy and enthusiasm. Olympic swimming champion Wang Shun sent a video message to express his blessings for the event.
This event marked the beginning of Ningbo’s 2024 mass fitness initiatives, with a variety of activities unfolding throughout the year.
The Beautiful Countryside Fitness Walk, launched in 2018 by the local sports department, has become a major fitness brand in Ningbo. It features over 10 events annually across different districts (counties and cities), attracting thousands to explore and appreciate rural areas. The activities include hiking, outdoor walking, healthy running, and fitness walking, all of which are accessible to people of all ages. These events integrate traditional sports displays, agricultural product markets, sports experiences, and fun competitions to create an inclusive platform for participation and promote a “Sports+” fitness model that contributes to rural revitalization.
With the arrival of spring, the 2024 Beautiful Countryside Fitness Walk officially launched on March 24. Outdoor enthusiasts visited ten locations, including Gulin Town in Haishu District, Zhuangshi Subdistrict in Zhenhai District, Hengxi Town in Yinzhou District, Baifeng Subdistrict in Beilun District, Fuhai Town in Cixi, Song’ao Town in Fenghua, Cicheng Town in Jiangbei District, Luting Township in Yuyao, Chunxiao Subdistrict in Beilun, and Xiaotang Township in Xiangshan. Over 6,000 participants enjoyed the beautiful rural scenery while experiencing the health benefits and joy of fitness.
August 8 marked the 16th “National Fitness Day” in China. That evening, the Sanjiang Riverside Walking Festival, part of Ningbo's 2024 National Fitness Day events, took place at Sanjiangkou, attracting over 1,500 participants. The following day, the 2024 Ningbo Coastal Leisure Sports Games (Cixi Station) kicked off at Shiyitang in Xinpu Town under the theme “Love Fitness, Enjoy Health.” The event gathered 19 teams and over 200 athletes from across the city to compete in five events: mud relay, tidal rescue, tidal strongman, tidal harvest, and tidal battle. Subsequent stations of the Coastal Leisure Sports Games were held at the Binhai Wetland Park Plaza in Yinzhou Economic Development Zone, the Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Center, and the Tianfei Lake Water Sports Base in Fenghua, where participants enjoyed activities like orienteering, beach volleyball, and paddleboarding.
“The continued organization of these mass fitness events in Ningbo not only inspires enthusiasm for physical fitness among citizens but also promotes scientific fitness knowledge and practices,” said an official from the Ningbo Sports Bureau. “These events contribute to rural revitalization, improve public health literacy, and serve as a key platform for implementing the Healthy China and National Fitness strategies.”