Why China’s elite athletes soar internationally as its schoolkids plod at home

While Beijing spends huge sums of money selecting and training athletes to win medals at international sporting events – more than 1 billion yuan (US$146 million) last year alone, according to data from the General Administration of Sport – young Chinese remain unable, or reluctant, to find the time and space to exercise.

They are daunted by a lack of facilities, a shortage of qualified teachers, safety concerns and other issues, observers said.