Since the Chinese government introduced the first official guideline to boost people's fitness level in 1993, sports and physical activity related industries have made extraordinary achievements. That a large number of playgrounds and parks have been built across the country shows the Chinese people, in general, are more serious about physical fitness today than in the past.

In particular, judging by the communiqué released after the conclusion of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee last month, the national fitness campaign will get more importance during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. For example, the building of more parks and playgrounds has gradually promoted a "15-minute circle of fitness"－that is, many neighborhood residents spend at least 15 minutes doing physical exercise.

Besides, marathon races have become increasingly popular in China, with many Chinese cities organizing annual marathons in which runners from both home and abroad participate. In fact, the number of runners who completed half marathons last year exceeded 900,000, and the number of race groups surpassed 120,000.

The novel coronavirus pandemic may have had a negative impact on the national fitness campaign, but it has also made people more aware about the importance of physical fitness, which plays a key role in boosting immunity against diseases. As such, many people have started exercising at home－as gyms were closed due to the pandemic. And various sports agencies and enterprises have started online workout courses, which in turn promote the sale of physical training equipment.

Thanks to the strict pandemic prevention and control measures, including maintaining social distancing, crowded indoor activities were suspended resulting in huge losses to gyms and sports facilities. But the government's subsidy policy, and operation of service platforms such as online fitness courses helped reduce the losses of the gyms and increased their capability to cope with the impact of the health crisis. Also, many winter sports destinations and facilities have put more emphasis on supporting programs and community maintenance, so as to widen their revenue channels.

After China managed to largely contain the virus, outdoor sports events such as cross country running, fell running (or mountain running) and normal marathons have resumed in many cities, which is an encouraging sign for runners, and other sports enthusiasts. Many ski resorts have also opened, bringing some relief to the operators.

Although the pandemic is still raging in many parts of the world and poses a grave risk to international sport events, China's national fitness campaign has once again started gathering momentum thanks to the success of the strict and effective prevention and control measures. In recent months, the government has also issued a series of policies to push forward the "Health China" action plan. For instance, sports and education authorities are mulling allotting more scores to physical education in exams, including the college entrance exams, so that school students pay greater attention to their physical fitness－which will eventually help them maintain good health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made an increasing number of people aware of the importance of physical exercise to the immune system. And with almost all sports facilities, including gyms, reopening, more and more people are doing regular exercise or playing sports.

Using a myriad of policies, government organizations, sports enterprises and schools, among other institutions, have made joint efforts to propel the national fitness campaign. As for more than 700 skiing sites that were forced to suspend operations due to the pandemic, they are using big data and cloud technology to resume activities, with the preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games offering them some unique opportunities.

But since the novel coronavirus is still to be contained in the rest of the world, China remains alert to any new infection cases. Still, the fitness service, and new technologies and policies have made it easier for people to maintain good physical health.

Normalcy is not likely to return to international sports in the short term. Yet, the national fitness program has the right conditions to slowly return to normal. And, it is hoped that China's national fitness program will play an important role in reinvigorating the sports sector as a whole.

The author is an expert on Olympic studies. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.