How swimming talent is developed

•11 min read
How swimming talent is developed

Competitive sports and mass sports complement each other. We hope everyone will further enhance the overall strength of competitive sports, driving vigorous participation in national fitness initiatives and youth sports programs, and contributing once again to building a robust sporting nation.
— Speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his meeting with the Chinese sports delegation at the 33rd Olympic Games, August 20, 2024

Why has Zhejiang become a hotbed of swimming talent? After the Paris Olympics, many people have been asking themselves this very question.
Among the 31 athletes on China's swimming team this time, nine are from Zhejiang Province—seven of whom have already won Olympic medals. Looking back at previous Olympics, World Championships, and World Cups, swimmers from Zhejiang have consistently delivered outstanding performances. From Luo Xuejuan, Sun Yang, and Ye Shiwen to Wang Shun, Xu JiaYu, and Pan Zhanle, each name shines brightly in the annals of swimming history.
Top-tier swimmers continue to emerge in unprecedented numbers, earning them the nickname "Zhejiang Swimming Pool" from online users. While marveling at this phenomenon, people can’t help but wonder: How did Zhejiang build such a vast and robust talent pool? And what changes has swimming brought to the region?
Armed with these questions, the reporter stepped into Wenzhou, "the Swimming Capital of China." Using one city as a microcosm, they set out to uncover the secret behind Zhejiang's enduring swimming prowess.
Broadly casting the net to "select seedlings," while scientifically nurturing them for optimal growth.
Arriving at the Wenzhou Sports School, the massive five-ring logo immediately catches the eye. Eight-year-old Li Yiqian, his backpack slung over his shoulders, bounces and skips eagerly toward the training hall. Having been swimming for two years already, he’s already set his sights on a clear goal: "In the future, I want to swim as fast as Brother Pan Zhanle!"
A similar bold declaration was once made by Pan Zhanle, the young athlete from Wenzhou. Discovered by a grassroots coach at the age of 4, he went on to win seven gold medals at the Zhejiang Provincial Games by the time he was just 10. Driven by his unwavering belief—to swim faster than his predecessors—he pushed himself relentlessly, ultimately earning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
Wenzhou is renowned for producing "flying fish." Since Lü Zhiwu won the city's first-ever Olympic medal at the 2012 London Games, Wenzhou swimmers have continued to make waves at every subsequent Olympics, consistently bringing home medals. In fact, out of the 12 medals earned by China’s swimming team in Paris, a remarkable 5 were directly attributed to athletes from Wenzhou.
Zhejiang's swimming program shines brightly as a vivid reflection of its economic and social development. From elite athletic training to nurturing the next generation of talent, cutting-edge technology and robust material support have enabled more gifted young athletes to grow into towering champions.
In Zhejiang, a growing number of grassroots coaches—rooted in local swimming pools—spend each year carefully identifying promising young talent at kindergartens and elementary schools. After rigorous, step-by-step training programs, these talented youngsters are selected to join the city’s sports school for further "polishing." From there, the very best are chosen and sent to the provincial team, where they receive specialized training to develop into elite professional athletes.
Wenzhou Sports School coach Lin Menghua still vividly recalls the moment she first spotted Xu Jiayu 22 years ago. "He was in first grade at the time—1.28 meters tall with a 1.3-meter arm span, broad shoulders but a slender waist, and beautifully defined body contours," Lin said. After the initial selection, the children began learning to swim, and after just one year, further screening took place based on their water confidence, courage, and natural aptitude.
"We'll develop long-term training plans tailored to the unique characteristics of students at different stages—never rushing their development," said Li Ke, vice principal of Wenzhou Sports School.
From casting a wide net to "selecting talent" to adopting a scientific approach to "nurturing young athletes," Wenzhou has established a comprehensive and well-rounded system. Wang Sisi, Deputy Director of the Training and Competition Division at the Wenzhou Sports Bureau, explained that since 2013, Wenzhou has been setting up swimming training bases across the city, actively encouraging and guiding sports associations, clubs, and training institutions to get involved. Additionally, the city has launched a collaborative "City-Team Joint Operation" program with several high-quality, socially recognized swimming training organizations. Currently, the city hosts over 2,000 athletes who are undergoing long-term training.
Annual swimming competitions—both large and small—held within the province serve as a true test of talent. Through competition-driven training and talent scouting, swimmers emerge from the rigorous selection process. Decades of refining the "one-stop" development model have ensured that the pool of swimming talent remains consistently robust and well-stocked.
This smooth and effective talent-development pathway isn’t just a hallmark of Wenzhou swimming—it has also become a consistent, proven approach across Zhejiang Province. As a major economic hub in China, Zhejiang has focused relentlessly on breakthroughs in areas like technological innovation, reform and opening-up, and the private economy, providing robust support for its "open-door" strategy in swimming. Since 2012, Zhejiang has embraced the "Grand Swimming" concept, mobilizing the entire province to optimize the allocation of critical resources—including talent, competitions, scientific research, medical services, and information—while actively creating favorable conditions for both "going global" and "inviting expertise from abroad."
According to statistics, Zhejiang's amateur swimming training program has reached a scale of 18,000 participants, with more than 7,000 individuals consistently maintaining their training year-round. Among them, Wenzhou stands out as the city most actively contributing talented athletes. "At the 2024 National Short Course Swimming Championships, out of the 76 Zhejiang-based athletes competing, 25 were from Wenzhou—nearly one-third of the total," said Wang Shi, Pan Zhanle's coach during his time at the Wenzhou Sports School.
We need both excellence at the "tip of the pyramid" and a strong foundation beneath it.
Since its establishment in 1959, the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Team has produced six Olympic champions and collectively won nine Olympic gold medals.
"If the 'tip of the tower' is to be refined, the 'foundation of the tower' must be strong."
Zhejiang is dotted with water towns. Take Wenzhou as an example—this city, crisscrossed by a dense network of rivers and shaped by its close connection to the sea, has passed down a deep-rooted affinity for water from generation to generation.
In 1956, the Jiushan Swimming Pool was built near Jiushan Lake. In 2001, it was rebuilt into an indoor, temperature-controlled swimming facility—becoming not only a cradle for Wenzhou’s renowned swimming talents but also a cherished memory of swimming for the city’s residents. "Today, the Jiushan Swimming Pool is operated by private-sector entities, with both its facilities and services undergoing a remarkable transformation," says Lin Jianguo, Chairman of the Wenzhou Swimming Association, adding with a touch of nostalgia, "Yet one thing remains unchanged: the pool is always packed with enthusiastic swimmers."
In recent years, Zhejiang has been accelerating its drive toward high-quality development. A growing number of fitness facilities have been integrated into "community living circles," while the public fitness service system has been enhanced for greater efficiency and effectiveness. As a result, people are increasingly taking the initiative to engage in regular physical activity—a trend that’s gaining widespread momentum. Among these activities, swimming has emerged as one of the most popular sports, appealing across all age groups.
Every afternoon after school, Wenzhou resident Ge Dahai takes his 7-year-old son to the Jiushan Swimming Pool to learn how to swim, while he himself swims laps in the adjacent long pool for 40 minutes. "Swimming and staying fit right at our doorstep has become an integral part of daily life for Wenzhou residents—no matter the season," says Ge Dahai.
At the Lü Zhiwu Swimming Club in Wenzhou, eight resident coaches are kept incredibly busy every summer vacation—and sometimes they even have to bring in coaches from other regions to help out. "In Wenzhou," says Lü Zhiwu, "parents are highly motivated to enroll their children in swimming lessons."
A broad grassroots foundation and convenient venue facilities have fostered a vibrant swimming culture. Today, Wenzhou boasts nearly 400 swimming venues of various types, with over 300,000 people regularly participating in swimming activities. Each year, Wenzhou hosts more than ten mass-participation swimming competitions, including the iconic Spring Festival crossing of the Oujiang River, which has been held continuously for 42 years—testifying to the city’s remarkable enthusiasm for swimming among its residents.
During the Paris Olympics, Wenzhou Olympic Sports Swimming School experienced a booming summer enrollment period, with over 800 children and teenagers eagerly submitting their training confirmation forms—nearly half more than in previous years.
"Every place nurtures the people who belong to it. A massive swimming population has created a robust talent pool for competitive sports, with swimmers continuously shining on the international stage—their inspiring examples motivating more young athletes to dive into the pool. On one hand, the sports system is actively embracing open-door policies to promote swimming; on the other, people across the board are enthusiastically learning and enjoying the sport, fostering a virtuous cycle. As a result, nurturing "stars of tomorrow" has become a natural, seamless process."
Swimming is loved by all—shining the golden brand once again.
How can competitive sports and mass sports complement each other? In swimming, Zhejiang has found the perfect synergy.
Pan Zhanle joined the Wenzhou Youth Swimming School at the age of 4, rising from the provincial team all the way to the national squad—and eventually swimming his way onto the world’s highest competitive stage. Yet for kids training in swimming, pursuing a professional career isn’t the only path available.
Shi Haitie, head of the Wenzhou Olympic Sports Swimming School, openly admits that nowadays many parents enroll their children in swimming lessons not with the aim of winning gold medals someday, but rather to equip their kids with a valuable skill and help them develop a lifelong habit of staying fit and healthy.
Zhejiang boasts a thriving economy and a more diverse perspective on sports, making it one of the provinces in China that has most thoroughly implemented the "institutionalization" reform of competitive athletics. From families and schools to society at large, Zhejiang provides a supportive and nurturing environment that allows young swimmers to thrive and grow freely.
In Zhejiang, youth swimming training institutions commonly adopt a "commuting training system": students attend classes at their regular schools during the week and head to swimming schools or clubs for daily after-school training sessions. Weekend and summer/winter break training schedules are extended even further. Every child learning to swim is expected to master four competitive strokes—butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—while ensuring they maintain a well-rounded skill set across all disciplines while also excelling in their primary stroke.
"This is about thinking long-term for the children's future development," said Zhang Haiqiang, coach at Wenzhou Olympic Sports Swimming School. "Even if our students don’t become champions, they can still leverage their solid foundational skills to pursue higher education, become coaches, or work as community sports instructors."
As a sport, the benefits of swimming are well-known; as a hobby, it has a low barrier to entry, making it accessible to people of all ages—young and old alike. When swimming becomes the key lever for boosting national sports participation, it not only fosters a steady stream of competitive talent but also plays a vital role in promoting public health and strengthening the physical fitness of young people.
Today, all counties (cities and districts) in Zhejiang Province are equipped with indoor swimming pools, providing local residents with excellent venues for sports and fitness. Swimming has been included as part of the physical education exams in many areas across Zhejiang, leading to a steady increase in students choosing to take up swimming as an elective. Moreover, numerous schools have begun piloting "one school, one specialty" swimming training programs, enabling more students to embrace a healthy lifestyle through the sport of swimming.
Combining height and depth, blending competition with fitness, the "Wenzhou Model" outlines a clear path for development—while also serving as a vibrant reflection of swimming in Zhejiang Province. Over the past decade-plus of dedicated cultivation, swimming has taken deep root in the picturesque waterways of southern Jiangnan, fostering a nationwide sports movement that has blossomed across the Zhijiang region and firmly established Zhejiang as a shining example of national health and wellness.
The lively pool sparkles with splashing water as children swim laps in perfect circles. In their eyes shine not just passion and determination, but also boundless dreams. "I hope you’ll swim even faster than I did—and go on to conquer the world!" Pan Zhanle says.
From the People's Daily (December 1, 2024, Page 02)
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