Official stresses importance of physical education programs

Physical education programs for teenagers are very important and should be supported, said Duan Shijie, deputy head of the General Administration of Sports of China, and also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

To promote the development of teenagers' physical education programs, the administration especially set up a department for teenagers' sports, Duan said on the sidelines of the annual session of the conference.

Exercise is a key process of youth education, whose function is not limited to improving the physical condition but also enhancing the spiritual level, said Duan.

To guarantee the necessary physical education classes for students, sports education authorities need cooperation from education departments, said Duan.

"We have that cooperation on some programs, such as conducting surveys of teenagers' physical conditions, supervising the teenagers' exercise levels and providing guidance for teenagers' exercise, etc," said Duan.

But the country still lacks further regulation due to the unawareness of the importance of exercise, according to Duan.

Education authorities should not approve applications to build schools if a stadium is not planned, said Duan.

Meanwhile, the lack of such awareness also leads to the lack of investment on related facilities, said Yang Hua, the principal of the Beijing Sport University, one of the country's top sport education institutions.

The country needs further regulation to guarantee the investment on sport education, said Yang.