Use sports as a tool to stay fit

The opening ceremony of the 12th National Games presented a show of mass calisthenics performances, which reflected the games' theme of "people's participation and healthy life". The show took off from where the 2nd Asian Youth Games, held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, had left. This shift from individual to collective performance is a welcome change in sports, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

The importance of Chinese athletes' individual performances at home and abroad is undeniable in the rise of China as a sports power. But medals alone do not make the Olympic spirit. Only if most of the people of a country are physically fit can it become a true sports power.