The 2026 National Social Sports Instructor Volunteer Service Series (Mouding County, Yunnan Station) officially kicked off on August 7 at the Huahu Square in Mouding County, Chuxiong Prefecture, coinciding with the 18th National Fitness Day. The event was timed to align with the Yi Torch Festival, blending the lively ethnic festival atmosphere with the scientific and healthy trend of national fitness.
Professional national-level sports public welfare services were brought to the county-level region in central Yunnan, infusing urban and rural streets with athletic energy, ethnic charm, and a fresh wave of health awareness. The event was organized by the Social Sports Guidance Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the China Association of Social Sports Instructors, and the Yunnan Provincial Sports Bureau, with co-hosts including the Yunnan Provincial Social Sports Guidance Center, the Chuxiong Prefecture Education and Sports Bureau, and the Mouding County People's Government.
The initiative focused on enhancing grassroots sports talent, popularizing scientific fitness knowledge, and preserving traditional ethnic sports. Through hands-on services such as public welfare teaching, skills training, science lectures, and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) sports experiences, high-quality sports resources were precisely allocated to the county level, allowing residents to access top-tier, accessible sports welfare services close to home.
The event assembled a highly authoritative professional teaching team. Experts and professionals were invited, including a national-level social sports instructor for aerobics dance, a professor from Capital Institute of Physical Education, a champion of Health Qigong, along with local university sports professors, experienced teachers, and ICH inheritors, forming a high-level team to deliver the volunteer services. The event attracted nearly 750 participants, including social sports instructors at various levels, volunteers from government agencies and enterprises, students, and sports enthusiasts.
On the launch day, five major fitness teaching modules were conducted simultaneously across various sports venues in Mouding County, covering diverse age groups and fitness levels. At the county gymnasium, national-level social sports instructors led demonstration teaching sessions, with experts breaking down each movement's key points and correcting errors, effectively enhancing the teaching abilities of grassroots social sports instructors.
At the county sports park, a public Ba Duan Jin (eight-section brocade) class was a huge hit, with a Health Qigong champion providing live demonstrations and hands-on instruction, spreading the concept of scientific fitness to the public. A highlight of the event was the inclusion of local intangible cultural heritage traditional sports. Leveraging Mouding's folk cultural resources, courses on traditional sports like rolling iron hoops and spinning tops were offered, with ICH inheritors giving live demonstrations and explanations, bringing these niche traditional sports back into public view and revitalizing them.
At the Mouding County Hall, two scientific fitness lectures were packed with attendees. Experts detailed common fitness misconceptions, scientific exercise methods, and general health knowledge, answering questions on the spot and providing the public with practical, easy-to-understand fitness tips. The county's elderly sports activity center hosted all-day pickleball (匹克球) teaching sessions, promoting a lightweight, casual, and accessible sport suitable for the diverse needs of elderly fitness and youth recreational activities.
The blend of traditional sports and new trends, along with the complementarity of theoretical science and hands-on practice, ensured that participants gained knowledge and practical skills. Li Haiwei, a fifth-grade Yi student at Maoyang No. 2 Primary School, said, "The event had a great variety of activities. Traditional games like spinning tops and rolling iron hoops were really fun, and the teachers explained them very thoroughly. It truly helped me understand the charm of my hometown's traditional sports."
This national-level sports volunteer service in Mouding moved beyond a simple performance model. It used professional training to address the shortage of grassroots sports talent, precise science education to dispel public fitness misconceptions, and the preservation and revitalization of local sports heritage through ICH revitalization, effectively bridging the "last mile" for public fitness services to reach rural communities. Moving forward, Mouding County will leverage this national volunteer service event as a springboard to continue grassroots sports training, popularize scientific fitness, and promote ethnic sports. This will help improve the county's public fitness service system, channel high-quality sports resources into communities, schools, and rural areas, and ensure that the benefits of national fitness reach all ethnic groups. Through solid grassroots sports practice, Mouding aims to enhance the quality and efficiency of Yunnan's national fitness efforts, laying a strong foundation for a healthy China and a sports powerhouse.