The Physical Education Department of Wuhan University, a physical education unit and a sports administration department, was founded in November 1986. Its history can be traced back to the establishment of the Sports’ Centre of the National Wuchang Normal University in May 1915.
In May 1915, the National Wuchang Normal University established the alumni association which combined teachers and students altogether to participate in the teaching and administration management of the school. The alumni association has a sports section which is responsible for the sports work of the whole school. The sports section consists of track and field group, martial arts group, competitive group, basketball group, softball group, baseball group, tennis group etc. In 1928 the sports department of Wuhan University was established under the leadership of the Provost. In March 1940, the school renamed the Sports Department the sports group. In April 1953, the sports group was renamed the Sports Department. In November 1954, it was renamed Sports Teaching and Research Group. In March 1960, the Sports Teaching and Research Group was renamed the Sports Teaching and Research office. In March 1966, the Sports Teaching and Research Office was renamed the Military Sports Teaching and Research Office. In October 1972, it was restored to the Sports Teaching and Research Office. In November 1984, the Sports Teaching and Research Office was designated as a sub-division unit. In November 1986, the Sports Teaching and Research Office was abolished with the establishment of the Sports Department of Wuhan University. In December 2000, the former four sports departments of 4 universities were merged to form the new Wuhan university Sports Department.
In 1928, in order to strengthen the importance and leadership of sports work, the school set up a sports committee in the school's organizational program, responsible for making plans to deal with the sports education, activities, facilities and so on as well as decide on major issues in sports work. In November 1954, the Sports Committee of Wuhan University was renamed the Sports Committee of Wuhan university. Famous professors such as Wang Xinggong, Zhao Shimei, Ding Renkun, and Gao Shangyin, as well as leaders such as Li Jincai, Hu Dekun and Li Wenxin, have served as the director of the Sports Committee or the director of the Sports Committee.
Wuhan university has a long history of sports education. As early as 1899, the school hired national technical teachers, built sports venues and offered physical exercises courses. From 1913 to 1923, the school held the sports meet or hiking meet in spring and autumn every year. In 1917, the school made physical education a compulsory subject for freshmen in school. In April 1919, the school began to implement the morning exercise system. In 1933, the colleges established student sports associations one after another. In 1936, the school built a 3,300-square-meter gymnasium named "Song Qing gymnasium" with donations from Li Shaoji and Li Shaoye, the sons of Li Yuanhong.
The Sports Centre now has a party and government office, four teaching and research offices, a physical health research center and a venue center. The school attaches great importance to the development of students, both physical and mental, and highlights the important role of sports education in the comprehensive cultivation of students, combining its advantages of relying on mountains and waters, to strive for a "landscape sports" culture.
The Sports Centre has 88 full-time teachers, including 9 professors and 62 associate professors; 1 member of the national college physical education teaching steering committee, 4 international level referees, 11 national level referees and 3 national level social sports instructors;45 with master's degree and 4 with doctor's degree; 13 managers. Currently, there are 53 active party members with 15 female members.
The university has 7 gymnasiums, including 49 badminton courts, 57 table tennis tables, 3 basketball courts, 1 volleyball court, 7 fitness centers, 3 physique rooms, 3 strength training rooms, 1 gym, 1 fencing hall, 1 martial arts hall, 1 judo hall and 1 dragon boat paddling pool. There are 5 track and field courts, including 37 outdoor basketball courts, 28 outdoor volleyball courts, 5 outdoor football fields, 32 outdoor badminton courts, 13 tennis courts and 1 swimming pool.
Physical education is the central link of the school's physical education work. The sports department has the following categories of courses: ball games, traditional ethnic sports skills and strokes, outdoor sports, gymnastics, dance and physique, water sports etc.
According to the Ministry of Education, the state general administration of sports about print and distribute (student physical health standard (trial scheme) notification) which requires the full implementation of the new school
since 2004 , the school set up the Physical Health Research Center, in March 2005, adding physical fitness test and research work of students in the main scope of work. Thanks to the normative management of Physical Health Research Center, the up-to-date test work was then, in strict accordance with the operation process and operating procedures for testing, treating every student earnestly, and objectively analyzing the data to standardize students’ physique. From 2006 to 2017, the ministry of sports tested more than 20,000 undergraduate students every year, with a passing rate of over 92%.
Mass sports activities are not only an important part of campus sports cultural life, but also an important link to effectively enhance students' physical and mental health. School mass sports activities adhere to the "four main" : strengthening students' physique, facing all students, popularizing activities, independent exercise. The ministry of sports organizes mass sports activities on campus every academic year with the theme of "healthy body, sound personality, and building a double first-class university”. A student group competition centered on "1 meeting, 2 running and 6 balls" was established.(1 will be for the school sports meeting, 2 will be for the "run around the mountain" and "Luojia Zhou run", 6 balls for the "Teng Fei cup" basketball, "Revitalization Cup" football, "Torch Cup" volleyball, table tennis, badminton, tennis)
At present, the university has four high-level sports teams, namely, men's volleyball team, table tennis team, badminton team and track and field team. In 2019, a new high-level football team (11-member system) for men was added. Over the years, the school has attracted a large number of outstanding high-level athletes to study in the school. At the same time, through the fine training and strict management of the school, a large number of interdisciplinary talents with both sports expertise and certain ability and quality are trained for the society. Since the school was approved by the ministry of education in 1987 as a national pilot school for high-level sports teams, it has made many achievements in various sports competitions, won numerous honors for the school, and won widespread praise from the society and the industry. Badminton and table tennis teams are at the top of the provincial and national colleges and universities, track and field and men's volleyball teams are at the top of the provincial colleges and universities, and at the top of the national colleges and universities. At the same time, the ministry of sports established sunshine sports team: basketball team, football team, volleyball team, table tennis team, badminton team, dragon boat team, sailing team, orienteering cross-country team, etc., on behalf of the school won many honors in the province and the country.
Inheriting the century-old glory and showing the elegant demeanor of famous schools. Facing new development opportunities and challenges, Wuhan university student sports work new era will be Xi Jinping, the thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics as guidance, firmly grasp the education reform and development of "nine", earnestly implement the school "create landscape sports culture, shaping the students' healthy physique and personality" work objectives, adhere to students as the center of the work idea, innovating working methods and mechanisms, efforts to promote the overall coordinated development of campus physical culture.
More than 100 years of wind and rain, more than 100 years of honing, more than 100 years of glory. Wuhan university sports department is full of confidence, boldly towards a better future!
