Teenage fitness declining

Despite its impressive Olympic performances, China faces a severe problem of declining fitness of teenagers. Last year, two college students collapsed and died during mandatory running exams. The public outcry has prompted the government to urge all schools to boost physical education.

"Fourteen minutes and 50 seconds. You still have 120 meters till the finish."

First-year student Xiao Ru has enlisted some friends to set the pace, for her 1,500-meter run. She's hoping to meet university fitness requirements.

She barely made it to the end.

Xiao Ru, student of Tsinghua University, said:"When the weather is a bit warmer I exercise more. But it's cold, I don't run at all. Then suddenly today I had to do this run, and I just felt uncomfortable."

Such dramas are increasingly common on China's running tracks.

The country faces a crisis of declining fitness among its youngsters that's despite formidable performances in recent Olympic Games.

Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of China Youth Research Center, said:"There are three main reasons for the lack of fitness. The first is sleep deprivation. The second is an unbalanced diet. And the third is lack of exercise. These are the three causes of the fitness crisis among Chinese teenagers."

Sun also attributes the decline to an obsession with academic testing in China's competitive school environment. And a proliferation of indoor entertainment options and fast food compounds the problem.

The government is now calling on schools to shape up their act, and boost physical education. It follows a public outcry over a string of events late last year.

In November, two Chinese college students collapsed and died while taking part in a mandatory 1,000-meter run.

Another two runners in their early 20s died during 5 and 10 thousand meter races at a sports event in Guangzhou.

Ma Xindong, head of PE, Tsinghua University, said:"These problems come because some Chinese high schools are not paying much attention to PE. They just focus on the college entry exams."

The drive to win Olympic golds actually makes the problem worse, according to some analysts. Promising young athletes and resources are siphoned off to special sports schools leaving little motivation for average students to take to the tracks.