Economical national games served the people well

That the organizers of the 12th National Games held in Liaoning province vowed to strictly follow the frugal policies of the Communist Party of China set a good example for future game organizers, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpt:

Besides the frugal opening ceremony on Aug 31, the 12th National Games cut its expenditure by 78 percent from its initial budget. There were no firework shows and no entertainment stars invited.

The frugal, yet successful, opening ceremony was popular with the audience. Low priced tickets account for 85 percent of those available for the games. Nine of 25 newly built stadiums are located on university campuses.

Dozens of fitness centers, hundreds of sports parks and thousands of fitness squares in the province were completed in conjunction with the games to better serve residents.

Returning sports to the people is badly needed across China. President Xi Jinping said recently people's health is an important part of the moderately well-off society the Chinese government wants to build.

It is expected the National Games in the future can further raise the public's awareness of the importance of exercise and motivate governments to distribute fitness resources among different parts of the country and groups of people.