File photo: Runners participate in the Nantong Marathon. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong is renowned as the "hometown of sports" in China and the "cradle of world champions" as it has nurtured 24 world champions and won 109 gold medals in world competitions.

Last year, the athletes from Nantong presented an impressive "report card". Six local athletes won nine gold medals in world and Asian youth competitions, and 25 claimed 27 gold medals in national competitions.

The achievements of Nantong athletes are inseparable from a local emphasis on cultivating and nurturing sports talents. Last year, Nantong established a sports school alliance and signed cooperation and talent selection agreements with nine grassroots elementary schools. The city organized nearly 1000 various competitions under the "one school, one special sports event" initiative, with over 50,000 teachers and students participating.

Mass sports are the foundation of a sports powerhouse. In recent years, the city has continuously developed public fitness facilities by building sports parks, embedded fitness courts, and fitness trails.

Currently, the city has built over 150 sports parks, more than 4000 fitness courts, and over 4500 kilometers of fitness trails, significantly increasing people's satisfaction and happiness.

As an emerging driver of national economic growth and a catalyst for financial transformation and upgrading, the sports industry plays a pivotal role in fostering high-quality development in the new era. Over the past year, the city's sports industry has evolved into a well-structured ecosystem centered around sports goods manufacturing, fitness services, sports leisure, and competitive events. According to statistics from the local municipal sports bureau, Nantong's sports industry reached a total value of 47.37 billion yuan ($6.53 billion), securing the fourth position in the province.

At the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the city specified the development of an intense sports city, further improving the public service system for universal fitness, enhancing the comprehensive strength of competitive sports, expanding the supply of sports products and services.