Students at Zhangjiagang Jiyang Lake Experimental School take part in handball training. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, recently became the only place in Jiangsu to be included in the first group of national-level model cities for public fitness.

Zhangjiagang has in recent years been exploring ways of promoting the integrated development of sports, education, healthcare, and tourism. Some of the measures it has taken include holding sports activities and competitions among young students to popularize different sports and train professional athletes.

Among those involved in this initiative is Zhangjiagang Jiyang Lake Experimental School, which currently has nine handball teams comprising more than 100 primary and middle school students. Wang Yupeng, the head coach, said they have made reasonable schedules to offer regular and scientific training to students. The school's handball team won a silver medal during the 20th Games of Jiangsu Province in August 2022.

Zhangjiagang has also cooperated with local hospitals to encourage residents to pick up sports to keep fit. For example, the city's sport authorities worked with the Zhangjiagang Rehabilitation Hospital in 2018 and spent 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) on physical examination equipment. The hospital also conducts examinations for more than 3,000 residents and company employees every year and recommends appropriate sporting activities to them.

Sports tourism routes and events such as marathon and brisk walking competitions have also been launched in Zhangjiagang's scenic spots. The Shuangshan Island and Xiangshan Mountain Scenic Area, for example, offers a variety of sports activities, including golf and cycling, to visitors. More than 50,000 tourists participated in these sports programs in 2022.