POPULARIZATION OF CHINESE NATIONAL TRADITIONAL KINDS OF SPORTS

Abstract

The article analyzes the problem of popularization of Chinese national traditional kinds of sports. The purpose of the study was to determine ways to promote national traditional sports. The research involved 322 respondents, including 271 ordinary Chinese citizens (Hainan Province) and 51 professionals in physical education, i.e. athletes and coaches involved in the development of Chinese national traditional kinds of sports. The average age of respondents was 25 years.
 The following methods were used during the study: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific literature, document analysis, system analysis, sociological survey, methods of mathematical data processing.
 One of the most popular and world-famous Chinese national traditional kind of sports is the Dragon and Lion dance, which is recognized as an official kind of sports for the transformation from a national dance to a competitive activity. More than 60% of respondents, athletes, coaches and ordinary citizens assess the popularity of Dragon and Lion dance in the country above average, which indicates its public recognition and commitment to it by citizens. Most respondents consider it as a symbol of traditional holidays. 72.5% of respondents like this kind of sports. About 44% of physical culture specialists, athletes and trainers consider the main advantage of Dragon and Lion dance to improve the festive atmosphere, and only 25% of them consider that its fitness function is important. Only 36% of the respondents highly appreciate the function that shows a very low level of public awareness of the positive impact of Dragon and Lion dancing on the human body. Most respondents believe that the Dragon and Lion dance should be spread in China and abroad (33% of professionals in physical education, athletes, coaches, and 67.8% of citizens), the main sources of information about this kind of sports is media, according to the idea of the most part of respondents.
 So the main ways to popularize national traditional kinds of sports are identified as the formation of appropriate public policy, effective marketing, introduction in educational institutions and campuses, raising public awareness through the media (especially the Internet); dissemination among rural residents, combining innovative elements of the competition program with traditional ones, improving the system of international and national competitions.