“We’re not hoping every child wins a championship — we’re giving them a chance to change their own lives through hard work,” Yu Hongbing, principal of the Huoqiu County Youth Amateur Sports School, told NetEase News.
On Nov. 2, a delegation from the “Discovering Charity Around Us — Lu’an Sports Lottery Public Welfare Fund Visit” traveled to Yeji District and Huoqiu County in Lu’an, Anhui Province, to see how money raised through China’s state-run sports lottery is being spent at the grassroots level, NetEase News reported.
Padded Mats and Wrestling Throws in Huoqiu
Inside the training hall of the Huoqiu County Youth Amateur Sports School, thick professional protective mats cover the entire training area, with protective frames and equipment neatly arranged on racks along the walls. The scrape of mats against the floor, coaches’ short commands and athletes’ shouts blend together as young judo practitioners pair off — gripping, restraining, turning and executing back throws in one fluid motion, while young wrestlers throw themselves into full-contact takedowns.
“This equipment was all funded by sports lottery public welfare funds,” said Zhang Yunjun, the school’s training section chief, watching the children train. Zhang has worked at the school for many years and has watched training conditions improve step by step. Before, equipment was scarce and much professional training could not be carried out normally. With lottery welfare funding, the children now have more professional protective gear, raising the safety and scientific quality of training, and the funds also cover athletes’ meals during training camps and competitions, he said.
From Coal-Dust Tracks to Champion Dreams
Yu recalled the school in the 1990s: the running track was paved with coal slag that kicked up dust with every step, and the training rooms were simple sheet-metal sheds — stifling in summer and drafty in winter. Even under those conditions, the school produced provincial games champions, a National Games bronze medalist and a three-time world championship winner. Training equipment and daily support from the lottery welfare fund have “escorted us all the way,” giving students the chance to pursue their championship dreams, Yu said.
The school receives more than 1.3 million yuan annually in priority support from county sports lottery public welfare funds for facility upgrades, and monthly living subsidies are paid to athletes and coaches. Over the past decade, the funds have poured nearly 15 million yuan into the school, NetEase News reported. A new campus is now included in Huoqiu County’s 15th Five-Year Plan for cultural, tourism and sports development.
Si Rui’s Provincial Title
Fourteen-year-old Si Rui, who just won the women’s judo Group C -56 kg title at the 2026 Anhui Provincial Games, still has the resilience typical of a young athlete. She said that before, the first worry when told about an away competition was equipment and travel costs. It was the sustained support of the lottery welfare fund that let athletes update their training gear and travel to more competitions — to face stronger opponents and gain experience, she said. That quiet public-welfare force, she added, removed their worries so they could train with peace of mind and run toward their dreams.
Free Smart Gyms at Mingqiang Sports Park
In Yeji District’s Mingqiang Sports Park, afternoon sunlight falls across the fitness area, where smart exercise machines stand in orderly rows as elderly residents stretch, residents pedal exercise bikes and children play nearby. Cao Cancan, who lives close by, comes almost every day to work out. The equipment is not only new in style but also has smart monitoring functions, she said — a few steps downstairs is enough for a workout, with no need to pay for a gym. Zeng Guimei, a regular walker in the park, said she had visited countless times before learning that the field renovation and equipment upgrades were all supported by sports lottery public welfare funds; knowing where the money comes from, she said, gives her a greater sense of认同 and she is willing to support public-welfare lottery in the future.
Li Shaolei, head of the sports section at the Yeji District Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau, said Mingqiang Sports Park is the district’s core public fitness site. The grounds once had a single function and aging equipment; with lottery welfare funding, the fitness area underwent a systematic upgrade, delivering free, quality exercise resources to residents’ doorsteps and closing the “last kilometer” of public fitness, in line with the sports lottery’s commitment to take from the people and use it for the people.
Where the Money Comes From
From the hard support behind young reserve athletes to inclusive fitness provision for ordinary residents, the sports lottery public welfare fund is not a cold number on a report, NetEase News reported — it becomes a protective mat, a smart fitness machine, a nutritious training-camp meal, and a chance to travel to competition. The sports lottery’s principle of “taken from the people, used for the people” is a long relay race: the small acts of kindness of countless lottery buyers, crossing distance, settle into stable, continuous public investment in sports.
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