Promotional material of 3 Seconds Photo: Screenshot of Douban

China's sports affairs regulator is encouraging coaches and athletes of different sports to watch 3 Seconds, an inspirational movie newly released in China about the Soviet basketball team's almost impossible victory over the US team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. 

The film tells the story of how the Soviet basketball team ended the US team's streak of seven consecutive Olympic gold medals. 

The movie presents the spirit of teamwork, striving and persistence, which could guide Chinese athletes as they prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the Qatar World Cup, according to a notice issued by the General Administration of Sport of China. 

The movie teaches viewers how to beat an "invincible rival" through proper training, scientific organization and arduous struggle, said the notice. 

Yang Zengming, an official from the administration, told the Global Times on Thursday that sports teams will hold group discussions about the movie and hand in their written reflections on the film's inspirational message. 

The administration is also planning to send copies of the movie to Chinese athletes trained overseas, Yang said. 

"The movie is great! I hope the athletes enjoy it after their exhausting training," said one Net user on Sina Weibo. 

The movie was released on June 13 in China and received a score of 8.3 out of 10 on Douban, a leading movie review platform.