Sports enthusiasts brimming with enthusiasm as Olympics ongoing

In August 2024, the National Fitness Day coincided unexpectedly with the Paris Olympics. During the Olympic Games, Chinese athletes fought valiantly, shining brightly at the moment of victory. The charm of competitive sports and the sense of national pride were palpable. Meanwhile, across the nation’s parks, squares, and fitness centers, sports enthusiasts were brimming with enthusiasm, sweating it out but finding joy in it. Sports became the most captivating scene in both urban and rural areas. The Olympic fervor ignited a nationwide fitness craze, blending the allure of competition into everyday life and inviting all to partake in a grand celebration of sports.

Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2024, shows citizens exercising at a square in Qingyang Street, Fushan District, Yantai City, east China’s Shandong Province. (Sun Wentan/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2024, shows cycling enthusiasts riding at Sanhehu Wetland Park in Dianjiang County, southwest China’s Chongqing. (Gong Changhao/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2024, shows participants competing in a Baduanjin event at the Fun Sports Games for health workers in Qianjiang District, southwest China’s Chongqing. (Yang Min/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2024, shows basketball players engaging in a fierce competition at the 2024 Shanxi Province Men’s Basketball Super League in the Yuncheng division, north China’s Shanxi Province. (Yan Xin/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2024, shows the Jinxian Square Dance Association organizing a square dance performance titled "Happy Jinxian National Fitness" at the Fitness Square in the Sports Park of Jinxian County, Fuzhou City, east China’s Jiangxi Province. (Li Shanmiang/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2024, shows children participating in a solo kayaking competition at Wulanmulun Lake in Kangbashi District, Ordos City, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Wang Zheng/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2024, shows a Health Qigong competition held in the New Station High-tech Zone, Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, with the Dongyuan Qigong station of Sanshitou Community performing a grand Health Qigong dance. (Yuan Bing/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2024, shows citizens playing shuttlecock in Century Square, Jiyuan City, central China’s Henan Province. (Zheng Zemin/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2024, shows yoga enthusiasts practicing at the Sports Center Square in Duchang County, Jiujiang City, east China’s Jiangxi Province. (Fu Jianbin/Guangming Picture)

Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2024, shows running enthusiasts having a morning run at Zhongxing National Mining Park in Zaozhuang City, east China’s Shandong Province. (Sun Zhongzhe/Guangming Picture)