Wei Jie

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THE 35-year-old Shekou Sports Center will be replaced by a modern 1.36 billion yuan (US$191.90 million) sports complex. With state-of-the-art facilities, a stadium, gymnasium, and several multipurpose halls, the new complex will better serve the changing needs of residents in Nanshan District.

A nostalgic landmark

While the new center is hotly anticipated, the original Shekou Sports Center will be remembered by generations of residents. Established in 1989, the Shekou Sports Center has served as the primary outdoors sports venue in the area for decades. At 50,000 square meters, the center includes a standard athletic field as well as basketball and tennis courts.

Located on Gongyuan Road next to Sihai Park, the center serves more than 100,000 residents in the neighborhood, with approximately 3,000 daily visitors, according to a recent report. The center has also hosted the physical education and sports activities of nearby schools.

Shekou residents such as Li Ying and Guan Qing, former students of the nearby Yucai Middle School, have fond memories of the center from their youth, and it has remained a top choice for their leisure activities with friends and colleagues.

“The Shekou Sports Center has played an important role in our lives,” Li said, reminiscing about her childhood. She emphasized the wide variety of events it has hosted over the years, from Yucai Middle School sports games and Shekou Industrial Zone community events to national winter children’s softball tournaments. These experiences, which she often discusses with her parents during family dinners, remain treasured memories.

Li said her family often goes to the center on weekends to exercise. “The bustling atmosphere of students training, children playing basketball and soccer, and senior residents jogging gives us a sense of gratitude and joy,” she said.

Guan, another former student of Yucai Middle School now in his late 40s, said, “In the late 1990s, the venue was such a fancy sports arena with all the advanced facilities. We felt so special to have our physical education classes there,” noting that the school’s physical education classes were held there for a whole semester while its athletic track was being renovated.

“It is still a very popular place among Shekou residents who are becoming more fitness conscious,” Guan said.

New era, new center

After three decades of use, the center has seen better days. Issues such as outdated facilities, limited functionality, inadequate support facilities, and limited parking — coupled with the changing needs of a growing population that is hungry for a wider range of exercise options — have necessitated an update.

According to a plan unveiled by the Nanshan District Culture, Radio and Television, Tourism, and Sports Bureau, a new Shekou Sports Center will be built. It will feature a 5,000-seat stadium, a 3,000-seat gymnasium, a comprehensive training hall, and facilities for basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, swimming, diving, and skating.

The facility, planned to cover 126,047 square meters both above and below ground, will also have areas for exhibitions and e-sports, aiming to enhance the area's overall sports and leisure scene.