The total scale of the sports industry has grown at an average annual rate of over 10% in the past five years, "said Gao Zhidan, Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, at a series of themed press conferences on" High quality Completion of the 14th Five Year Plan "held by the State Council Information Office on August 19th. With the steady development of China's sports industry, it has become an important growth pole of the national economy. Data shows that the total scale of the national sports industry will reach 3.67 trillion yuan in 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 10.3% and an added value of 1.49 trillion yuan. From the perspective of economic contribution, Yang Xuetao, Director of the Sports Economy Department of the General Administration of Sport of China, stated that the added value of the national sports industry is growing at an average annual rate of 11.6%, and will account for 1.15% of GDP in 2023, further advancing towards the goal of becoming a pillar industry. The scale of the ice and snow industry has increased from 381.1 billion yuan in 2020 to 970 billion yuan in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 26.3%, and the "cold resources" have become the "hot economy". Forty national pilot cities for sports consumption have seen a total increase of over 100 billion yuan in residents' sports consumption from 2020 to 2023, with the potential for sports consumption continuing to be unleashed. Not only is the scale continuously expanding, but the structural quality of the sports industry is also steadily improving. According to Yang Xuetao, the sports service industry, led by the competition and performance industry and fitness and leisure industry, has grown rapidly, accounting for 72.7% of the added value of the sports industry in 2023, up from 68.7% in 2020. Driven by transformation, upgrading, and independent innovation, the sports manufacturing industry has improved its quality and efficiency. As of the end of 2024, there are 146 national level specialized, refined, and new "little giant" enterprises in the sports field, more than doubling from the end of 2022. The accelerated transformation and application of advanced materials and technologies in the field of sports have improved the innovation and competitiveness of sports products. A large number of high-tech products such as carbon fiber bicycles and intelligent fitness equipment have entered millions of households. Yang Xuetao said that in the next step, the General Administration of Sport of China will benchmark the goal of building a strong sports country, adhere to planning guidance, strengthen policy empowerment, strengthen business entities, cultivate emerging business models, and promote high-quality development of the sports industry. Regarding the development of the outdoor sports industry since the 14th Five Year Plan, Yang Xuetao stated that according to data from relevant research institutions, by 2024, there will be approximately 200 million online consumers of outdoor sports in China, with a total consumption of over 300 billion yuan. Data shows that by the end of 2024, there were 171800 fitness trails with a total length of 407500 kilometers. The number of flight camps, car camps, and 914 ski resorts nationwide has reached 2055. In terms of market potential, emerging projects such as frisbee, fishing, skiing, diving, and land surfing are constantly shifting their focus. The outdoor sports industry is steadily developing, the user base is expanding, and outdoor events continue to increase. Outdoor sports consumption has gradually become an important area for people to pursue health and quality of life. In 2024, the number of participants in water sports exceeded 120 million, and the industry scale reached 438.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.7%. There are approximately 150 million fishing enthusiasts. There are about 3 million frisbee players nationwide, with over 1500 related clubs. Next, we will continue to improve the policies of the outdoor sports industry, enrich the supply of products and services, accelerate the construction of high-quality outdoor sports destinations, continuously optimize the development environment, stimulate market vitality, and promote the high-quality development of the outdoor sports industry. ”Yang Xuetao said. It is worth mentioning that with the continuous expansion and innovation of mass sports events in recent years, a group of popular sports events such as "Village Supermarket" and "Zhejiang BA" have become popular and directly driven the growth of local consumption. Yang Xuetao said that in the first half of this year, a total of 511 key sports events were monitored in seven provinces including Hebei, Zhejiang, and Fujian, driving sports and related consumption of over 16 billion yuan, with an average of over 30 million yuan per event, playing an important role in expanding domestic demand. Next, the General Administration of Sport of China will develop policy documents to promote the economy of sports events, further enrich the supply of sports events, enhance the brand influence of sports events, strengthen the coordination and linkage between sports events and industries, and promote sports events as a "strong engine" to activate consumption, drive the economy, and enhance image. (New Society)