100 Million People in China are Just ‘Pretending’ to Work Out, Survey Reveals

A survey released by China’s General Administration of Sport has revealed that around 100 million people are only pretending to exercise for the country’s National Fitness Plan.

The plan, launched by the country’s State Council in 2016, aims to get 435 million people to exercise regularly by 2020, according to Shanghaiist.

The plan states that teenagers are the focus group for implementing this initiative, and it will aim to improve people’s physical health.

“Educational, economic and social functions of the national fitness program will be brought into full play to promote the development of various social undertakings,” the government said in 2016.

“The total scale of sports consumption will reach 1.5 trillion yuan. And the national fitness program will become a driver for promoting the development of the sports industry, increasing domestic demands and forming new economic growth points.”

The sports administration previously stated that they were short of 35 million people on their target. A recent report has revealed that the number is now far greater than they anticipated, but with an estimated 100 million people only pretending to exercise.

The report also referred to people who have purchased fitness equipment at their homes but never use them, and those who take up gym memberships but rarely go in.

Feature Image via Getty

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