Liu Peng, the minister in charge of the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) has revealed that a number of Chinese athletes will take part in National Day celebrations on October 1.
Mr Liu said that a Beijing Olympics-themed float would appear on the day with several Olympic gold medallists on board.
He said that the country had made an impressive mark in the sports arena since the founding of People's Republic of China just under 60 years ago. "There are over 850,000 sports facilities in the country, more than 200 times those before the founding of The People's Republic of China,” he said. “The sporting field is 1.03 square-metres per person, which is 100 times that for 1949." He added that the country has also become the largest sportswear manufacture in the world. "The sports industry has developed so fast that it has become a highlight of Chinese economy. The government is working to create better social and economic environment for the greater development of sports industry," he said.
