Diversity needed to beef up industry

People ride skeletons on Tuesday at the launch of an ice and snow festival at Yuyuantan Park in Beijing. The event will run until Feb 25.Liu Ping / For China Daily

Despite seeing steady growth, China's sports industry is still immature and should shift its focus from manufacturing to service and entertainment sectors, according to researchers.

A report released on Tuesday by the General Administration of Sport shows preferential policies and a growing public awareness about fitness have helped the industry develop at a steady pace, especially the manufacture of sporting goods.

The gross industrial value stood at 1.7 trillion yuan ($245 billion) at the end of last year, indicating average year-on-year growth of 21 percent since 2011, the report said, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics.