Shanghai is attempting to introduce the 20-meter shuttle run in middle schools to replace the long-distance run, a move that has sparked controversy as many doubt the new test is a solution to teenagers' poor physical condition.
Experts are revising the current system on teenagers' physical fitness and mapping out an exercise intervention plan, according to the Teenagers' Health Evaluation and Exercise Intervention National Key Laboratory under the Ministry of Education.
The 20-meter shuttle run pilot project is under way in the city's 18 schools, with about 5,000 students participating. It is expected to replace the current 800-meter runs for girls and 1,000-meter runs for boys.
The shuttle run involves running back and forth between two points 20 meters apart at increasing speeds.
"The long run failed to scientifically and objectively reflect a student's cardiopulmonary function and aerobic endurance," said Ji Liu, a professor from the school of sports and health at East China Normal University, who is also the leader of the pilot project. "The speed has less connection to their physical status," while cardiopulmonary function and aerobic endurance is an important indicator of a person's fitness, he said.
"The long-distance run is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which cannot reflect students' aerobic endurance," Ji said.
The move in Shanghai follows the deaths of two college students in Guangdong province and one in Shanghai after long-distance runs in November. Several colleges and middle schools canceled long-run projects in their sports contests after the deaths.
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