SHENZHEN students prefer taking various sports classes during this summer vacation, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

“My son independently goes to a badminton stadium in Meilin at 10 a.m. each day to practice badminton. After lunch, he attends swimming class,” said a mother surnamed Liu who lives in Jingtian, Futian District.

Liu said that due to the pandemic, they had to cancel their original travel plans in August. Liu’s son, aged 10 and in grade 4, is highly energetic. In addition to summer homework, sports training programs have occupied much of the rest of her son’s holiday time, Liu said,

Before the summer holiday, a reporter with the Daily spotted long queues outside Shenzhen Swimming and Diving Center in Futian. It is said that many people came to register their kids in a swimming class.

“Swimming is a good aerobic exercise, which is also one of the items included in the city’s zhongkao (high school entrance exam). My kid is in the first grade now. The summer holiday is a perfect time to undergo a systematic learning,” said another mother surnamed Wang.

In addition to common sports such as badminton and swimming, some students also chose less popular ones like baseball, squash and windsurfing, said the report.

Inside the fencing stadium at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Nanshan, a student told the reporter that he has been practicing fencing for more than five years, though work at school is not easy.

Parents send their children to attend sports programs for different reasons. Some said it is preparation for the zhongkao swimming and rope skipping tests, while others said they want to cultivate children’s interest in sports. Some suggested that they just want their children to make fitness a habit, according to the report.

(Wang Jingli)