In 2026, Huai'an will be committed to becoming a leading sports city, driving comprehensive, coordinated progress across all areas.

The city will coordinate and advance preparations and participation for the new season of the Jiangsu Football City League, ensuring high-standard team formation, refined management, scientific and standardized event organization, and deep integration of "sports events+." Besides, Huai'an will meticulously host signature citywide events, including the 2026 Huai'an Marathon, the National Youth Trampoline Championships, the 2026 China Freediving Open, the Grand Canal Cycling Series (Huai'an Lianshui Station), and the "Joyful Huai'an" series of community benefit competitions. We will effectively prepare for and participate in the 21st Jiangsu Games, while simultaneously initiating athlete selection and team formation for the 22nd Jiangsu Games. In line with the revitalization of the "three major ball sports," efforts will focus on increasing the supply of venues for football, basketball, badminton, and other high-demand sports to better meet public needs. We will intensify the implementation of the national fitness facilities "shore up weak links" project. In 2026, 21 embedded sports venues are planned for construction, along with the renewal of at least 150 sets of outdoor sports and fitness equipment. Throughout the year, we plan to train 400 secondary-level social sports instructors and provide scientific fitness guidance to over 500,000 participants. We will promote youth sports through competitions, establish a three-tier competition system at the municipal, district (park), and school levels, and successfully organize municipal Sunshine Youth Sports Leagues, "Running Youth," and other related activities. We will systematically plan the event strategy, leveraging canal culture and scenic resources, and promote multi-department cooperation to create an integrated "sports events + tourism + consumption" model. This will advance the integration of sports events into scenic areas, commercial districts, and neighborhoods, using event-driven traffic to boost consumption and facilitate industrial transformation.