Hurdles star Liu says young Chinese are not fighting fit

Liu Xiang is, with basketball star Yao Ming , one of the top stars in Chinese sports, so when he raises a concern about the mainland's physical weakness at grass-roots level, people pay attention.

Liu, the 110 metres Olympic hurdles gold medalist in 2004, said in a group discussion during the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing yesterday that he was worried about the fitness of his compatriots, especially the younger generation.

'Our kids are gaining weight but losing strength. Many of them are the only child of the family. To get them to do some exercise is very difficult,' Liu, 26, said. 'My younger relatives are an example. Their interest is in browsing websites and chatting online. They prefer fast food and video games to exercise.

'Our kids are the future of our nation. If their physical condition goes down, our country will go down with them.'

Liu's opinion was widely echoed by other delegates. Although China won the most gold medals (51) in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, sport had largely remained a government business, they said. Most resources go to grooming elite athletes while most people - especially in rural and less developed regions - have almost no access to the most basic facilities.

Jiang Xiaoyu , former executive vice-president of the Beijing Olympics organising committee, said the physical fitness of young Chinese people was inferior to those in Western countries and among the weakest in Asia.