Developing Active Cities in China

TAFISA and the Happy Sports China Group have signed a 3-year partnership agreement for the development of Active Cities and World Walking Day in China. The partnership was kicked-off during a TAFISA delegation visit in China from 8 - 13 April 2026.

Led by TAFISA President Wolfgang Baumann, who was accompanied by TAFISA Board Members Jacqueline Kronenburg and Wanshik Hong, as well as TAFISA Secretary General Jean-Francois Laurent, the visit included numerous meetings with Happy Sports China and various stakeholders in Chengdu, Shanghai, Kunshan and Beijing, engaging in in-depth discussions with local government departments, academic institutions, and Sport for All organizations, under the guidance of Happy Sports China's Founder and Chairwoman, Zhou Li.

During their visits to Chengdu, Kunshan, and Shanghai, relevant government agencies expressed their intention to become part of China's first batch of "Active Cities" under the partnership between TAFISA and Happy Sports China. The next step is to collaborate with interested cities to host Active City workshops in 2026, with the aim of obtaining the Active City label and organizing World Walking Day events.

In Chengdu, the TAFISA delegation was received by Sheng Gang, Deputy Director of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Sports; Li Xiang, Director of the Chengdu Sports Event Operation Center; Pu Zhaosheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Shuangliu District Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism; and Du Minjie, Deputy Director of the Qionglai Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism. A formal meeting was held at the Chengdu Sports Event Exhibition Center.

 

The delegation subsequently engaged in in-depth exchanges with Professor Zhu Dan, Dean of the "Three Cities and Three Capitals" Research Institute and Dean of the School of Tourism and Culture Industry at Chengdu University; Yin Jian, Director of the Chengdu Opening-up and International Cooperation Center (COICC); and Xu Wanbin, President of Chengdu Sport University, followed by a visit to the university museum.

 

TAFISA expressed its gratitude to COICC for the official "Chengdu & Partner" certification. The delegation also visited the Chengdu Tianfu Greenway and inspected the WePark project developed by Happy Sports China.

In Shanghai, TAFISA and Happy Sports China were received by Mr. Dong Miaojun, Chairman of the Shanghai University of Sport National Science & Technology Park, and his team. The University will play a key role in the city's Active City Development and host a workshop. The meeting was also an opportunity for TAFISA's delegation to visit the university's Chinese Wushu Museum.

In Kunshan, the delegation inspected several WePark projects developed by Happy Sports China and held discussions with Wu Weiwei, Member of the Party Committee of Zhangpu Town; Zhu Yanlei, Deputy Mayor of Jinxi Town; Huang Feng, Deputy General Manager of Kunshan City Construction Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd. (Qingyang Port); and President Qi of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Stone Lock Exhibition Hall.

 

During the discussions, the leadership of Jinxi Town expressed plans to host a TAFISA World Walking Day event, leveraging the "Kunshan Link," a local greenway system.

Finally, in Beijing, TAFISA and Happy Sports China had a meeting with Mr. Chen Xingnian, Director general of TAFISA Member the Sport for all Department of All-China Sports Federation.

 

TAFISA extends its gratitude to Happy Sports China and Ms. Zhou Li and her team for the professional and friendly atmosphere created for the kick-off of the partnership, which bears much potential for the development of Sport for All in China.

More about Happy Sports China: [ http://www.happysportschina.com]