China aims to expand its sports industry to more than seven trillion yuan (1.04 trillion U.S. dollars) by 2030 as part of a new five-year plan to build the country into a sports powerhouse, officials said Thursday.

The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), approved by the State Council in July, also targets increasing per capita sports venue space to about four square meters and raising the proportion of residents who regularly exercise to around 40 percent, General Administration of Sport director Gao Zhidan told a State Council Information Office briefing.

Gao said the "Year of Deepening Governance" campaign rolled out earlier this year will tackle bottlenecks in the development of the sports industry. This includes sustained efforts to root out corruption, combat "toxic fan culture" and build a well-regulated sports governance system.

In elite sports, Gao said China will shift from a "prioritized breakthrough" strategy to a "comprehensive development" model centered on the "633" project. The initiative calls for consolidating China's strengths in six traditionally successful sports, including diving and gymnastics, developing three foundational sports comprising athletics, swimming and water sports, and revitalizing basketball, volleyball and football.

Zhang Xin, director of the administration's Competitive Sports Department, said authorities will make greater use of market mechanisms to develop elite sports by allowing enterprises, universities and social organizations to play a larger role in training and competition, while attracting talent, capital and technology from a wider range of sources.

Chen Xingnian, director of the Mass Sports Department, said the national fitness plan for 2026-2030 will focus on making services more targeted, inclusive, intelligent, integrated and better regulated.

More than 5,000 small-scale fitness facilities, including micro-sports parks and multipurpose courts, will be built or upgraded over the five-year period, with resources prioritized for densely populated areas where demand is greatest.

On the sports industry, Yang Xuedong, director of the Sports Economy Department, said the administration will streamline event approval procedures to reduce costs and improve spectator experiences while developing 100 high-quality outdoor sports destinations.

New technologies, including artificial intelligence and big data, will be used to develop smart fitness services and virtual sports, Yang said.

Gao also reviewed China's progress during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, saying public fitness had become increasingly popular, Chinese athletes delivered the country's best overseas Olympic performance at Paris 2024 and the sports industry maintained strong growth.

"We have successfully forged a path to building a sports powerhouse with Chinese characteristics," Gao said.