A Taizhou player shoots during the opening game of the provincial stage of the 2026 Zhejiang City Basketball League, or ZheBA, at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Sept 4, 2026. Taizhou beat Hangzhou 79-63. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province unveiled its sports reform and development plan for 2026-30 at a news conference in Hangzhou on Sept 11, aiming to become a modern sports powerhouse by 2030.

By then, per capita sports venue space is expected to reach 4.2 square meters, 48 percent of residents will exercise regularly, and 45 percent are targeted to receive good or excellent ratings in physical fitness assessments.

More underused urban spaces will be converted into neighborhood fitness facilities, while public, school, government, and public institution sports venues will be opened more widely to residents.

Zhejiang plans to hold more than 10,000 sporting events and activities annually. Community-based sports and health centers will cover all 11 prefecture-level cities, with services such as exercise prescriptions and health management expanded.

In competitive sports, Zhejiang will consolidate strengths in sports including diving and gymnastics, develop athletics and swimming, and step up efforts in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. It will also strengthen its talent development system ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The province aims to expand its sports industry to 1 trillion yuan ($149.04 billion) by 2030 and cultivate around 10 nationally influential sports companies. It also plans to host an average of 250 national-level or higher events each year.

Youth sports will be another priority. By 2030, more than 70 percent of young people are expected to have mastered at least two sports skills, while 75 percent of primary and secondary school students are targeted to receive "good" or "excellent" physical fitness ratings.