SHENZHEN is planning to build an extreme sports park as extreme sports are gaining popularity in the city, the Nanfang Daily reported.

Over 300 residents participated in the Sports Carnival held at Luohu Stadium on Aug. 6, doubling the number of participants last year. The carnival consists of two sport categories — street workouts and skateboarding.

A 76-year-old man, surnamed Gong, was the oldest contestant at the carnival. He has been doing street workouts for eight years. “I work out for two hours every day. I like trying new movements on the premise of not hurting myself,” he said. “My family supports me doing street workouts because it’s good for my health.”

Xing, spokesperson of XBars — a street workout club in Shenzhen, said that the core idea of street workouts is to encourage people to do exercise whenever and wherever they can. “Now, many companies also organize their employees to do street workouts, which not only strengthens the employees’ physiques but also promotes their spirit of teamwork,” he said.

A growing number of residents in the city have developed a fondness for extreme sports, such as surfing, rock climbing and bungee jumping.

Hollan, who sells surfboards at Dapeng Surfing Club, is a surfer himself. Hollan said surfing is not a profitable business in Shenzhen because not too many people are familiar with it. “The business environment for surfing will be favorable only after the number of surfers grows and the service systems for surfing become well-established,” he said.

According to Zhang Xu, spokesperson of the carnival, the funding of the Sports Carnival relied on sponsors and government support. He said extreme sports are considered a hobby instead of a profession by many people in China.

Zhang said the extreme sports in Shenzhen have developed better and earlier than in many other cities in China as over 20 events are hosted annually. He said the city is short of professional extreme sports venues, which must follow high design standards to ensure the safety of participants.

Xiao Jingnan, vice president of Shenzhen Extreme Sport Association, said extreme sports have gained wide attention in China after surfing became an Olympic sport. He said the national general administration of sport is making an effort to promote the development of extreme sports in China.

According to Xiao, the association and the city government are discussing how to build an extreme sports park in Shenzhen. “The park will provide standard and safe venues for extreme sports enthusiasts and attract more people to do extreme sports,” he said.

Lu Quanhua, a researcher from Luohu District’s publicity department, said the government supports the development of extreme sports in Shenzhen. “The fearless and exploring spirit advocated by extreme sports is the same spirit that a city needs to fuel its prosperity,” he said. (Zhang Yang)