Shanghai recently introduced the Sports Development Regulation to enhance the modernization of its sports governance system and capabilities, promote the high-quality development of sports and accelerate the development of a globally renowned sports city.

The regulation came into effect on Jan 1.

Yu Shiping, an official from the Shanghai Administration of Sports, said that the promulgation and implementation of the regulation aims to implement the Law of the People's Republic of China on Physical Culture and Sports, which was fully revised in January 2023, in a local context.

The regulation consists of 12 chapters and 69 articles. Its objective is to implement the national fitness strategy, accelerate the development of a higher level of public service system for nationwide fitness, deepen the integration of sports and education, promote the comprehensive and healthy development of young people and accelerate the development of a distinctive urban sports industry system. It also focuses on social concerns and optimizes the regulations of the sports market.

Luo Peixin, vice-president of East China University of Political Science and Law, said the regulation will play a positive role in the healthy development of Shanghai's sports industry and the cultivation of a nationwide fitness atmosphere.

The regulation also stipulates that public sports venues and operating sports facilities should strengthen emergency medical support and be equipped with necessary first aid equipment, medicines and personnel with first aid skills. Public sports venues should be equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

It also states that schools should provide comprehensive, high-quality physical education classes in accordance with relevant national regulations, offer diverse sports programs, cultivate students' interest in sports and enhance students' physical fitness.

The regulation also requires that fitness business owners that sell prepaid membership prominently display the content of their sports and fitness services, fee standards, lease duration of the premises on their operating service locations and online platforms. They should also provide consumers information about the use and management of prepaid funds, channels for checking balances, refund methods and courtesy caution of prepaid risk.

The regulation will help guide the entire industry towards a shift from a sales-oriented approach to a service-oriented approach, said Sun Chong, secretary-general of the Shanghai Fitness and Bodybuilding Association.