East China's Zhejiang aims to develop a strong sports industry in the following five years, according to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for the reform and development of sports in the province recently released by provincial authorities.

More specifically, the plan states that Zhejiang hopes to lead the country in mass sports, competitive sports, sporting events, the sports industry, sports culture, and sports governance over the following five years.

By 2025, there is expected to be more than 2.8 square meters of sporting area per capita and the total output of the province's sports industry is expected to exceed 500 billion yuan ($76.31 billion), accounting for more than 2% of Zhejiang's total GDP, according to the plan.

Moreover, sports-related consumption in Zhejiang will amount to more than 200 billion yuan by the same year, with per capita consumption being around 3,000 yuan.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Zhejiang will build 10-minute fitness circles for local communities, 15 provincial-level fitness centers, 250 sports parks, 300 fitness squares in rural areas, and 10,000 kilometers of fitness footpaths.

The province will also step up efforts to prepare for the upcoming 19th Asian Games and the Asian Para Games to be held in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, in 2022.

In addition, it will create a sports industry cluster with an annual output of more than 1 billion yuan and plan 35 sports projects with a total investment of 60 billion yuan.