In recent years, health awareness among the elderly has continued to grow, and their demand for sports products and services has increased steadily. Developing the silver economy and meeting the sports needs of older adults will help promote the high-quality development of elderly care programs and industries.

　　Despite the lingering chill of early spring, winter swimming enthusiasts still stream to the banks of the Yimin River in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, and among them are many elderly people. According to a survey by the Hulunbuir Elderly Sports Association, more than 70 percent of the city's elderly residents (aged 60 and above) regularly take part in physical exercise; there are over 600 indoor sports venues suitable for elderly activities and nearly 1,000 outdoor fitness sites of various kinds.

　　Fitness groups keep growing and enthusiasm for exercise keeps rising. In recent years, health awareness among the elderly has continued to strengthen, and their demand for sports products and services has grown steadily. At the same time, age-friendly and intelligent fitness venues and equipment have emerged, creating new scenes, spawning new business opportunities and unleashing new potential.

　　Watching competitions, taking in-depth trips and exercising: a fulfilling life in later years

　　Liu Guifang, 71, lives in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province. He often plays tennis with friends and also enjoys sports photography. He bought a DSLR camera, a computer and other equipment specifically to shoot sporting events. Last year, after photographing the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Cup of China, Liu Guifang took the opportunity to make a 20-plus-day in-depth trip to Chongqing and Chengdu. "Playing sports, watching competitions and taking in-depth trips—my retirement life is so fulfilling!" Liu Guifang said.

　　As exercise and fitness become a way of life for more and more older adults, the response from the sports consumer market is clear. Data from Tmall's sports and outdoor category show that in the fourth quarter of 2023, transaction value among skiers in their fifties rose 65 percent year on year, while that among skiers in their sixties rose 131 percent year on year; among monthly buyers of ski socks, the elderly accounted for 37 percent.

　　In recent years, outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and cycling have flourished, and some products integrating culture, sports and tourism are particularly favored by elderly consumers. On the Ctrip travel platform, a tourism product designed specifically for older adults that combines mountaineering with golf is selling very well; since it was listed, more than 1,000 users have inquired about and signed up for it. "Today's elderly are no longer satisfied with check-in-style tourism; the addition of sports activities brings them a richer experience," said Fang Zeqian, an industry analyst at the Ctrip Research Institute.

　　At the same time, sports events for the elderly are becoming increasingly diverse, and "one person competes, the whole family travels" is gradually becoming a trend. Wen Wen, vice chairman of the Chinese Elderly Sports Association, said that many places have seized the opportunity to launch boutique tourism routes and products related to sporting events, which are very popular among older adults.

　　Age-friendly upgrades to fitness facilities, integration of sports and medicine, and organizing events for the elderly: the industry is sparking new growth

　　On January 24 this year, an outdoor smart gym for the elderly covering about 500 square meters opened in Wuhan's Zhongshan Park. In less than a week, it attracted thousands of users. Guided by voice prompts from the smart equipment, resident Aunt Zhang completed a physical fitness test and received a report. "It advised me to watch my running pace when my heart rate exceeds 130, and it even gave me voice reminders during the test just now."

　　Zhang Jiahua, chairman of Shenzhen Haofamily Health Technology Co., Ltd., the developer of the equipment, said that an important function of age-friendly fitness products is to tailor exercise plans for older adults. "Many elderly people find it difficult to accurately gauge exercise intensity when working out; digital and intelligent fitness equipment can offer timely advice and reminders, and the exercise data accumulated over time helps users manage their health," Zhang Jiahua said.

　　In addition to common forms of exercise for the elderly such as walking, practicing tai chi and square dancing, more and more older adults are now becoming interested in indoor fitness. Since 2021, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Sport and the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau have jointly launched "Senior Sports and Health Homes," which now cover all 16 districts of Shanghai, with 120 in total.

　　Wang Hailong, chairman of Shangti Health Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which operates these "health homes," said that all fitness equipment has been adapted for older adults' physical characteristics and that services such as exercise interventions for chronic diseases and rehabilitation training are provided. "The monthly membership fee is 99 yuan, with a government subsidy of 30 yuan, so individuals only need to pay 69 yuan," Wang Hailong said. "Recently, we have also developed and launched yoga classes for seniors, and the elderly have been very enthusiastic about them."

　　In the sports industry, age-friendly upgrades to fitness facilities, the integration of sports and medicine, and organizing events for the elderly have become hot topics. "There is still a gap in the supply of sports facilities and venues for the elderly, and much work remains to be done to meet their exercise needs," said Luo Jie, secretary-general of the China Sporting Goods Federation.

　　Promoting scientific fitness, formulating relevant standards and training professional coaches: more needs remain to be met

　　In January this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Improving the Well-Being of Older Adults, which put forward 26 measures in four areas and stressed the need to "carry out standardization pilots in fields such as elderly care services, culture and tourism, products for the elderly, age-friendly renovations and the application of intelligent technologies."

　　According to Luo Jie, since 2020 the China Sporting Goods Federation has been working on the formulation and revision of standards for sports and fitness among the elderly. In 2023, entrusted by the Mass Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport of China, the federation completed the compilation of the Guidelines for the Configuration of Fitness Equipment for the Elderly, and the much-watched national standard Requirements for Indoor Sports and Health Facilities for the Elderly is also being drafted intensively. "The steady progress of standardization for facilities and equipment will help promote healthy market competition and guide further improvement and upgrading in the development of age-friendly fitness equipment and the supply of venues," Luo Jie said.

　　In fact, compared with relatively mature areas such as tourism and health care for the elderly, fitness and sporting events for the elderly are still in the early stages of development. How to train professional coaches in this field, how to promote the concept of scientific fitness, and how to better meet the exercise needs of older adults—many issues urgently need to be resolved. To promote the high-quality development of elderly care programs and industries, we must, in terms of hardware, continuously strengthen the construction of fitness facilities for the elderly and keep expanding the supply of age-friendly products; in terms of software, we must actively provide services to assist the elderly so that the content of services is richer and of higher quality.

　　"The sports needs of the elderly have always existed, and sports consumption is showing a trend toward diversification and specialization," Wang Hailong analyzed. As China enters an aging society, developing the silver economy and meeting the sports needs of older adults will help enable the elderly to enjoy a healthy and happy life in their later years.