A bird's view image of the main venue for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games taken on April 8, 2020.Photo:Xinhua

The General Administration of Sport of China has signed a cooperation agreement with the provincial government of East China's Zhejiang Province, host of the 2022 Asian Games, to promote the development of sport in the province, Chinanews.com reported Tuesday. Zhejiang provincial government has included football in the government assessment to help develop more talent.

The Zhejiang provincial government has incorporated the development of football into its work, aiming to improve the level of football development through more active measures, especially the cultivation of excellent football players from local schools to provincial teams and finally to the state level.

The agreement also noted that the cooperation between the General Administration of Sport of China and the Zhejiang Provincial government will promote the formation of a high-quality, full coverage and equal public fitness service system.

The General Administration of Sport's specific support for Zhejiang includes the construction of demonstration areas for public fitness services, encouraging public sports venues to open to the public, and improving the renovation of national fitness facilities such as national fitness centers, sports parks, and public football fields in mountainous areas of Zhejiang Province.

Besides, the two sides will take the lead in establishing a new model for the development of professional sports nationwide, which combines state control of sports operations with the market mechanism.

Through cooperation with the General Administration of Sports, Zhejiang Provincial government aims to better integrate professional sports training with teaching, support outstanding retired athletes and coaches to work in campuses and promote the development of the local sports industry.

The agreement also emphasizes that both sides will cooperate to host the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and achieve a breakthrough in the development of professional sports.

The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, also known as the 19th Asian Games, will be held from September 10 to 25 this year in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Global Times