Coastal city sets stage for sport, leisure event with sea-land-air extravaganza

The coastal city of Rizhao in Shandong province will host the 2025 China Sports and Leisure Conference from September 26 to 28, igniting the sunshine coastline with a thrilling mix of sea, land, and air activities. The event, to be held in tandem with the province's sports consumption season, was announced in Beijing on Wednesday.

Centered around the theme "new sports tourism, new consumption, new vitality," the conference aims to energize public participation and unleash sports consumption potential through an ambitious lineup of events.

According to Lin Yanqin, vice-mayor of Rizhao, the program includes a mass cycling and walking race along the city's 28-kilometer coast green way, paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing contests, a celebrity sea fishing tournament, a bicycle league, sports photography competition, paragliding and hot air balloon displays, and a lively sports and leisure market.

Zhang Xiaolin, vice-general manager of ?China Sports Press and Publication Group?, one of the organizers of the event, highlighted the conference's role as a growing public brand and platform to advance national fitness goals and enrich modern lifestyles through innovative sports consumption.

According to Luan Fengyan, deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Sports Bureau, Shandong's sports industry reached nearly RMB 500 billion in total scale in 2023. Having hosted the conference twice already, Rizhao continues to be a vital hub for integrated sports, culture and tourism development.

The city has already hosted over 70 major sporting events above the provincial level in the first half of this year, drawing more than 45,000 participants and 300,000 spectators, with direct economic impact of RMB 242 million. Rizhao boasts 28 provincial-level sports-tourism projects and among the top in the province in per capita sports consumption, with 49% of its population regularly active in sports.

The conference supports the State Council's call to stimulate sports consumption and promote high-quality development of the sports industry, aiming to turn event attendance into sustained regional spending and deeper consumer engagement.