Sports venues, a strong support for a better life

A bird's-eye view of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center on Sunday. Photos by Sun Yuchen except otherwise stated

Shenzhen Gymnasium in this 1980s file photo. Courtesy of Yin Jinlong

A construction worker at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in this 2010 file photo.

Shenzhen Stadium in this 2011 file photo.

Engineers at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in this 2010 photo.

Bao'an Stadium in this 2011 file photo.

The opening ceremony of the 26th Summer Universiade at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in this Aug. 12, 2011 photo.

Shenzhen Universiade Center in Longgang District in this 2011 file photo.

Shenzhen Gymnasium, built in 1985, is the first large sports venue in the city. According to Yin Jinlong, chairman of Shenzhen Sports Center's labor union, one year later in 1986, a national body building competition was held at the gymnasium. Since more than 60 female athletes wore bikini at the competition, which was rare in China, the competition was a hit, and then fitness centers flourished in the city.

After holding numerous sports events and pop concerts for 33 years, the gymnasium was demolished in 2018 and a new one will be built to expand its capacity from 6,000 seats to 16,000. The Shenzhen Stadium will also be rebuilt to have 45,000 seats.

Many other stadiums and gymnasiums in Shenzhen were built around 2011 for the 26th Summer Universiade and in the past nine years, these sports venues have continued to hold grand international events, such as the Shenzhen Open (a professional women's tennis tournament) and the Canadian Women's Hockey League (a professional women's ice hockey league). Meanwhile, the sports venues are also popular choices for locals to get exercises.