In recent years, the health awareness of the elderly group has continued to increase, and their demand for sports products and services is growing.
Developing the silver economy and meeting the sports needs of the elderly will help promote the high-quality development of causes and industries for the elderly.
Despite the cold spring, there is still an endless stream of winter swimming enthusiasts on the Yimin River in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, including many elderly people.
According to the survey statistics of the Hulunbuir City Elderly Sports Association, more than 70% of the elderly (over 60 years old) in the city regularly participate in physical exercise. There are more than 600 indoor sports venues suitable for activities for the elderly, and nearly a thousand outdoor fitness venues of various types. .
The fitness team continues to grow, and the enthusiasm for exercise continues to rise. In recent years, the health awareness of the elderly group has continued to increase, and the demand for sports products and services has grown day by day.
At the same time, some aging-friendly and intelligent fitness venues and fitness equipment have emerged, giving rise to new scenes, deriving new business opportunities, and releasing new potential.
Watching games, in-depth travel, and exercising, your old age is very fulfilling.
Liu Guifang, who lives in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, is 71 years old. She often plays tennis with her golf friends and also likes sports photography.
He specially purchased SLR cameras, computers and other equipment and photographed some events.
Last year, after filming the China Cup World Figure Skating Grand Prix, Liu Guifang took the opportunity to go to Chongqing and Chengdu for more than 20 days of in-depth travel.
“My retirement life will be fulfilling by playing sports, watching games, and traveling in depth!” Liu Guifang said.
As exercise and fitness become a lifestyle for more and more elderly people, the response from the sports consumer market is obvious.
Tmall sports and outdoor industry data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2023, the transaction volume of skiers in their fifties increased by 65% year-on-year, and the transaction volume of skiers in their sixties increased by 131% year-on-year; among the monthly buyers of ski socks, elderly people accounted for up to 37%.
In recent years, outdoor sports such as camping, hiking, and cycling have developed vigorously, and some products integrating culture, sports, and tourism are very popular among elderly consumers.
On the Ctrip travel platform, a tourism product that combines mountaineering and golf projects designed specifically for the elderly is very popular. Since its launch, more than a thousand users have inquired and signed up. “Nowadays, the elderly group is no longer satisfied with check-in travel. , the addition of sports events will bring them a richer experience." said Fang Zeqian, an industry analyst at Ctrip Research Institute.
At the same time, there are more and more sports events for the elderly, and "one person participates, the whole family travels" has gradually become a trend.
Wen Wen, vice chairman of the China Senior Citizens Sports Association, said that many places have seized the opportunity to launch event-related high-quality travel routes and products, which are very popular among the elderly.
The industry is stimulating new growth through the renovation of fitness facilities suitable for aging people, the integration of sports and medicine, and the organization of events for senior citizens.
On January 24 this year, an outdoor smart gym for the elderly covering an area of about 500 square meters was settled in Zhongshan Park, Wuhan City. In less than a week, it attracted thousands of users to experience it.
Under the voice guidance of the smart device, citizen Aunt Zhang completed the physical fitness test and received a report, "It advised me to pay attention to my running speed when my heart rate exceeds 130. It also gave me a voice reminder during the test just now."
Zhang Jiahua, chairman of Shenzhen Good Family Health Technology Co., Ltd., the equipment developer, said that an important function of aging fitness products is to tailor exercise programs for the elderly.
"Many elderly people have difficulty accurately grasping exercise intensity when exercising. Digital and intelligent fitness equipment can provide timely suggestions and reminders; the exercise data accumulated over a long period of time can help users manage their health," Zhang Jiahua said.
In addition to common fitness methods for the elderly such as walking, Tai Chi, and square dancing, more and more elderly people are now interested in indoor fitness.
Starting in 2021, the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau and the Shanghai Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau have jointly launched the "Sports and Health Home for the Elderly", which currently covers 16 districts in Shanghai with a total of 120 homes.
Wang Hailong, chairman of Shangti Health Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which is responsible for operating the "Health Home", said that all fitness equipment has been adjusted for aging according to the physical characteristics of the elderly, and provides sports intervention for chronic diseases, rehabilitation training and other sports health. maintenance services.
"The monthly membership fee is 99 yuan, and the government subsidy is 30 yuan. Individuals only need to pay 69 yuan." Wang Hailong said, "Recently, we have also developed and launched yoga classes for the elderly, and the elderly are very enthusiastic."
In the field of sports industry, aging-friendly renovation of fitness facilities, integration of sports and medicine, and organizing events for senior citizens have become industry hot spots.
"At present, there is still a supply gap in sports facilities and sports venues for the elderly. There is still a lot of work to be done on how to meet the sports needs of the elderly." said Luo Jie, secretary-general of the China Sporting Goods Industry Federation.
Promote scientific fitness, formulate relevant standards, and train professional coaches. More needs need to be met.
In January this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy to Improve the Well-Being of the Elderly" and proposed 26 measures in 4 aspects, emphasizing that "in the fields of elderly care services, culture and tourism, elderly supplies, aging-friendly transformation, and intelligent technology applications, etc. Carry out standardization pilot projects.”
According to Luo Jie, starting in 2020, the China Sporting Goods Industry Federation has started the formulation and revision of sports and fitness standards for the elderly; in 2023, the Federation was commissioned by the Group Department of the State Sports General Administration to complete the "Guidelines for the Configuration of Fitness Equipment for the Elderly" The preparation of the national standard "Requirements for Indoor Sports and Health Facilities for the Elderly", which has attracted much attention, is also in full swing.
"The steady advancement of the standardization of facilities and equipment will help promote healthy competition in the market and guide the further improvement and upgrading of the research and development of aging-friendly fitness equipment and venue supply," Luo Luo said.
In fact, compared with more mature fields such as senior tourism and senior health care, senior fitness, events and other industries are still in their early stages of development.
How to train professional coaches in this field, how to promote scientific fitness concepts, how to better meet the exercise needs of the elderly...many problems need to be solved urgently.
To promote the high-quality development of aging causes and industries, in terms of hardware, we must continue to strengthen the construction of fitness facilities for the elderly and continue to expand the supply of age-appropriate products; in terms of software, we must actively provide services for the elderly to make the service content richer and of higher quality. .
"The sports demand of the elderly has always existed, and sports consumption has shown a trend of diversification and specialization." Wang Hailong analyzed.
As my country enters an aging society, developing a silver economy and meeting the sports needs of the elderly will help the elderly enjoy a healthy and happy later life.
Fan Jiayuan Sun Longfei