Sports in the Big City | 都市运动休闲基地

Written by (作者): Kiko Chen?陈若男
Photos by (图片来源):?Shuyun Wu 吴书韵 & Yanxiang Wu 吴焱湘

Whenever you open your “Moments” in WeChat these days, you will find a lot of people showing off the results of a run, their time at the gym, or a healthy post-workout meal. People have a stronger obligation to stay in shape more now than ever before, and many are getting outside to exercise following a wave of fitness frenzy across the nation. However, a lack of proper outdoor fitness centers and athletic facilities has caused much frustration among the populace, leading to the advent of new and innovative “sports and fitness parks” with integrated outdoor sporting grounds and excellent facilities. Ningbo is no stranger to this new luxury, with many parks having popped up since last year. Read on to explore three of the most prominent ones in the city.

Luzhou Sports Park

The first sporting complex in the city, Luzhou Sports Park, has been open to the public since last August. Located in Southern New Town in Zhenhai, the park has two main highlights: a green landscape and ample room for exercise, with the facility covering an area of 116,000 square meters. The sports park has many similarities with many entertainment-oriented theme parks and tourist parks, with spacious lawns and a nice countryside appearance, but take a closer look and, apart from rubberized running track, winding water system, and flourishing plants, there are indoor and outdoor fields, a section for kids, fitness paths, tennis courts, and basketball courts all over the park. It is undoubtedly one of the best places to exercise in Ningbo.

Decathlon Park

?Decathlon (one of three stores/parks in the city operated by the French sporting clothes brand) was constructed following an investment of $20 million by the Decathlon Group and the Jiangbei District Government and was completed in April. The park is located on Jiangbei’s Hongtang Street and covers a total area of 21,000 square meters. Along with a Decathlon store, there are gymnasiums, recreational facilities, jogging tracks, plus it will soon be open free to the public. The park is expected to be put into operation by the end of this year.

Hangzhou Bay New Zone Sports Park

The youngest sports park in this group is in the Hangzhou Bay New Zone and is still under construction. The park obtained government funds for 4.9 million RMB in February, which should hasten the process of the project. The first sports fields are expected to be completed and open to the public this September. Initial planning shows that the park is located in the core region of the New Zone, with northern and southern open parks connected by multifunctional paths. The north park is a proper park with green lush landscape, water features, flowers, and more. The south park will house sporting facilities, including a soccer field, basketball court, tennis court, and a huge outdoor activity square. There will also be climbing walls, and “extreme sports area”, and swimming pool, and it will be able to host various sporting events.

The world of sports and leisure has grown increasingly in the past few years in Ningbo, combining outdoor fitness, use of state-of-the-art recreational facilities,and varying sports activities. These sports parks are the latest attraction for this prosperous and ever growing city.

现在，无论什么时候，一打开微信朋友圈，总少不了有人秀着跑步的路程、锻炼的成果。可见，人们的健康意识不断增强，更向往回归自然的户外健身方式了。近年来，这种全民健身的风潮已经席卷了全国各地。然而，健身场所的缺乏，运动设施的不完善，常常让人有心无力。于是乎，一种新颖的公园式健身——体育主题公园——逐渐兴起。体育主题公园是以健身活动为主题，将体育健身场地与生态园林环境巧妙地融为一体的公共场所。接下来，让我们一起来看几个甬城新近建成和正在兴建的体育主题公园吧。

绿轴体育公园

镇海区首个城市体育文化综合体项目——绿轴体育公园已于2015年8月对公众开放。公园位于镇海新城南区，总用地面积约11.6万平方米。“绿轴体育公园”顾名思义，拥有“绿树景观”与“体育”两大亮点。整个公园四周呈开放式，并无围挡，从外观上看，与休闲观光公园有着很多相似之处。但仔细一瞧，公园除了开阔的草坪、蜿蜒的水系和茂盛的植被，还处处融入了“体育”元素，塑胶跑道、室内外体育场馆、儿童和老年人活动专区，以及随处可见的健身路径等等一应俱全，无疑又是一个健身的好场所。

迪卡侬公园

今年四月，由法国迪卡侬集团与江北区政府共同投资建设的 “迪卡侬公园”也已经基本竣工。迪卡侬公园位于江北区洪塘街道，总投资2000万美元，总建筑面积约21000平方米。这座公园兼具休闲娱乐与体育活动，包括体育用品商场和向市民免费开放的体育健身活动场馆、体育步道、休闲配套设施等。迪卡侬公园预计今年年底营业。届时，将进一步丰富市民的体育文化生活。

杭州湾新区体育公园

?今年2月，正在筹建中的杭州湾新区体育公园项目成功获批2016年第一批国家专项建设基金4900万元。这笔专项建设基金将加速新区体育公园工程进度，首批体育运动场地有望在今年9月竣工，并向市民开放。初步规划方案显示，新区体育公园选址于商务新城区核心区域。公园以九塘江为界，由南、北两大开放式公园组成，并以多功能步道串联。其中北公园以绿地景观为主，由大草坪、中心湿地、花海景观等组成；南公园主要以体育设施为主，包括标准足球场、篮球场、网球场以及超大型户外娱乐活动广场。另外，公园内还规划建设了室外攀岩基地、极限运动场地、体育营地、游泳馆等，可举办及承办相应体育赛事。

宁波的运动休闲基地正蔚然成形，集生态健身、自然休闲、体育活动于一体的体育公园将成为繁华都市中的另一道风景线。

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