Beijing schools to open sports facilities to public

Beijing is to make more sports facilities at schools and institutes available to the public in line with new regulations on fitness, it was pledged on Wednesday.

Facilities that meet the standard will be opened to residents, said Shi Jiangping, a senior official with the city sports authority.

Schools, for example, will be encouraged to open up their sports courts after school and on weekends to sports clubs in return for funds from the local government, he said.

The city will also make it easier to register sports clubs and societies, with the number expected to rise from the current number of about 7,800, said Lu Hongze, a spokesman for the sports authority.

Less than 70 percent of the sports facilities at qualified elementary schools and middle schools is now open to the public, Shi said.

"Although many schools open their facilities, it's not quite as we expected in terms of quantity and quality," he said.

The policy is part of the capital's revised fitness regulations, which went into effect on March 1. Shi said more detailed plans regarding the regulations' implementation will be available next year.