Political adviser and former basketball star Yao Ming has called for more prudent design and better operation of sporting venues as China becomes an increasingly popular candidate to host major events.

As the nation prepares for the 2022 Winter Olympics and the Asian Games in the same year, the post-event operation of giant stadiums is a subject of concern for Yao, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

Yao played for nine years in the NBA in the United States from 2002, experiencing the multifunctional operation of sporting facilities there.

He has combined his overseas findings with local research into a proposal by the CPPCC, the country's top political advisory body, for giant stadiums to be built and run efficiently in China.

"Our current management and operation of major stadiums need to be updated with international practices. More functions and business modes could be explored to rejuvenate some venues that have fallen into disuse after hosting just one major event," Yao said on Wednesday.

His concerns match the research findings of Lin Xianpeng, a sports industry professor at Beijing Sport University, who studied 775 major sports venues nationwide with his team in the past three years.

Lin found most facilities in remote city suburbs, such as venues for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade, struggled to operate at a profit without sustainable business modes after staging these events.

Lin said there are far more large sporting venues in China to host major events than there are accessible neighborhood facilities for people to exercise.

With the Winter Olympics being held in Beijing and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, in 2022, Yao suggested that post-event operational plans and future business modes should be assessed before construction starts.

In Beijing, it is planned to build just one new permanent venue, the National Speed Skating Oval, for the Winter Olympics, with most events being staged at venues used for the 2008 Olympic Games and at temporary facilities.

To help more existing venues operate at a profit, Yao suggested that property owners - mostly local governments and State-owned enterprises - should introduce third-party agencies or professional sports clubs as shareholders.

They could run venues to host events such as concerts, exhibitions and tourism carnivals as well as professional sports events on a regular basis. "They should introduce more shows to bring stadiums alive," Yao said.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn