As the European Cup reaches its exhilarating finale and the Paris Olympics approach, the fervor for public fitness this summer is at an all-time high.

Both offline sports games and online competitions are thriving. Waterfront areas and our living rooms have both turned into joyful arenas for parent-child sports. "Upon hearing about the fun challenges this time, I signed up right away," said a participant who used to be a cheerleader but played table tennis with robots this year. "Think as one, act as one": the lake comes alive with the rhythmic drumming and the swift movements of paddles, offering swimming enthusiasts their first experience of dragon boat racing. With football matches held almost every weekend, players learned first aid knowledge from professionals to ensure the safety of all participants in branded events amid the summer heat.

In the new practice of the people's city, how the life belt of Yangpu harmonizes sports with life to create a graceful "duet"?

Waterfront areas and our living rooms have both turned into joyful arenas for parent-child sports

Yangpu Binjiang, once an important cradle of China's modern industrial civilization with its factories and machinery, now thrives with a variety of trendy sports and a constant influx of fitness enthusiasts.

Rope jumping, balance challenge, tortoise and hare race, fun basketball shooting, soccer shooting, and inflatable darts...Recently, the Oriental Fisherman's Wharf has transformed into a "parent-child sports arena". The 4th Shanghai Citizen Games & Yangpu Staff Parent-Child Sports Meeting took place here. The event is divided into two parts: Parent-Child Challenge and Parent-Child Sports Carnival, with the participation of 120 families participating.

The healthy growth and comprehensive development of minors require a collaborative nurturing system involving schools, families and the society. Parents often play the role of their children's first teacher. Participating in the parent-child sports meeting, citizen Ms. Lv recalled her mother's companionship in games during her childhood, "Parent-child sports are not just for children; they are also about interactions between parents and children. Children grow up quickly, and the time they can truly spend closely with their parents is limited. We should value the opportunity to accompany our children and not let electronic devices dominate their growth."

In addition to waterfront areas, our living rooms have also turned into arenas for parent-child sports. The lively and joyful atmosphere of the sports meeting was mirrored online. The staff parent-child sports meeting included the online and offline stages. The online part integrated internet, sports and cultural tourism. Families worked together to fulfill their daily mission, uploaded a sports video per day, and checked in for seven days in a row. Each day's online mission also included recommending a Yangpu sports and life space, allowing families to virtually explore Yangpu through "online movement + online promotion," discovering the connection between sports and daily life.

He used to be a cheerleader but played table tennis with robots this year

The staff parent-child sports meeting of the day also served as the "opening show" for the Shanghai Citizen Games and the Yangpu Sports Games.

Cries of "Good shot!" punctuated the air amid aggressive serves and attacks, intense rallies and skillful backhand returns...In Shanghai Yangpu Youth Amateur Athletic School, over 160 players from government offices, enterprises, public institutions and social organizations gather for the 4th Shanghai Citizen Games - Shanghai Intelligent Table Tennis Tournament & 4th Yangpu Sports Games - "People's City, Dynamic Belt" Staff Sports Meeting.

Notably, this competition introduced a new table tennis robot challenge. A participant said, "My ping-pong skills are average; I used to cheer from the sidelines. Upon hearing about the fun challenges this time, I signed up right away. The balls served by the robots are quite challenging to return. I believe that consistent practice with such robots will lead to a rapid improvement in my skills."

Swimming enthusiasts experience dragon boat racing for the first time.

Xing Hanwei, a 60-year-old swimming enthusiast, recently visited Huangxing Park for a dragon boat racing challenge at the 4th Yangpu Sports Games. She believed that dragon boat racing, like swimming, is a water sport that particularly tests the teamwork spirit of "thinking as one, acting as one". "It should be enjoyable, so I came to give it a try."

At the starting signal, the soul-stirring drumbeats resounded through the sky, and the paddles danced as the dragon boats sped through the water like arrows released from their bows. 12 teams from across the city competed on the shimmering lake.

Ji Jiajia, a paddleboard enthusiast who traveled from Jiading to join the race, said, "We usually play on the Yuanxiang Lake. The dragon board, a type of paddleboard, requires coordination among four paddlers, which is similar to dragon boat racing. This gives us a certain advantage in our paddling rhythm."

On the same day, the 2024 Shanghai Community Health Sports Meeting and the "Civilized Changhai • Floral Life" Citizen Carnival opened simultaneously. The event featured various interactive experience zones, where citizens could try spin cycling and land rowing under the guidance of social sports instructors or experience the charm of dragon boat racing, kayaking, paddleboarding and other water sports.

Competing while learning first aid knowledge

The Yangpu Football Super League is the exclusive football event for Yangpu's residents. With 50 teams and nearly 1,500 participants, this year's event has drawn a diverse crowd from all age groups. As the event reaches its peak, matches are held almost every weekend at Baiyangdian Football Fields. Ensuring the safety of the participants in branded events amid the summer heat is of utmost importance.

How can we prevent and treat exercise-induced heatstroke? What are the steps for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automatic external defibrillator (AED)? How should we provide first aid for scrapes, cuts, sprains and other injuries? Recently, Xu Hao, a participant in the Yangpu Football Super League, had a hands-on experience with CPR under the guidance of professionals.

On the day, the Yangpu Football Association launched the "Green Field Guardian Action" where professional first aiders and physiotherapists from the Yanji Community Health Service Center and Xingwang Medical Rehabilitation Center provided on-site training. They taught athletes, coaches and referees first aid knowledge and skills, and guided them on how to prevent sports injuries.

"Safety in sports is paramount. My teammates and I often learn first aid online, but we're not confident and can be overwhelmed by emergencies," Xu said. "The practical courses have given me a more intuitive understanding of first aid, and I've benefited a lot."

A new high in public fitness within a 15-minute sports life circle

Yangpu Binjiang Sports Park has officially opened, creating a "sports retreat" for innovative talents; residents in Yangpu can now exercise with community health instructors and other "professional trainers" at community sports and health centers right "at their doorstep"...

Urban centers often grapple with limited spatial resources and a lack of sports venue space. Yangpu has managed to leapfrog the development of sports and fitness facilities by increasing supply, enhancing governance and improving service systems. To date, a diverse array of sports facilities, including public fitness centers, intelligent public fitness points, public fitness trails and public sports courts. The per capita area of sports fields has increased to approximately 1.4 square meters.

At the same time, over 400 events are held annually, drawing nearly 200,000 participants...As part of the new practices of the people's city, Yangpu is creating a new pattern of comprehensive development of mass sports, competitive sports, youth sports and the sports industry through a series of innovative measures. This has led to the creation of a "15-minute sports life circle" for residents, promoting the seamless and innovative integration of sports, business, culture, tourism and education.

The essence of public fitness lies in its "universal" nature. Only with enthusiastic and deep involvement from people of all ages can the city's vitality be further ignited.

The Organizing Committee of the Shanghai Citizen Games hoped to mobilize families to participate by organizing a variety of "parent-child sports" activities. They aim to expand the scope of targets from single groups to the entire population, including teenagers and children. Additionally, they seek to build a platform for parent-child social interaction, enabling more families to fall in love with sports and enjoy the joy of physical exercise, thereby further broadening the social foundation of mass sports.