Wuhan Sports University (WHSU), formerly known as Zhongnan Institute of Sports, is one of the first full-time independent higher education institutions of sports established after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Founded in 1953 in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, the university relocated to Wuhan, Hubei Province in 1955 and was renamed Wuhan Sports University in 1956. Initially under the direct administration of the General Administration of Sport of China, WHSU has been jointly managed by both the General Administration of Sport of China and the Hubei Provincial People’s Government since 2001. Currently, the university has four campuses: Donghu (Zhuodaoquan) Campus, Canglong Island Campus, East Lake High-Tech Development Zone (Baoxie) Campus, and Wudang Mountain Campus., with a total area of 1,820 mu (about 121 hectares). The university enrolls more than 15,000 students, including undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, as well as international students. WHSU operates an independent college offering full-time undergraduate programs: the Sport Science and Technology College of Wuhan Sports University. It also has one directly affiliated Grade A tertiary hospital and one affiliated Grade A tertiary hospital. Guided by its motto, “Fairness, Courage, Integrity, Perseverance; Learning, Reflection, Discernment, Practice,” WHSU is committed to integrating sports, science, and humanities in education, and cultivating students with strong moral character, cultural awareness, and professional competence. Over the past 70 years, the university has produced more than 150,000 outstanding graduates for the country.

WHSU has achieved remarkable results in discipline and program development. Its first-level discipline of Sports Science is particularly distinguished, having been selected as a provincial first-class discipline cultivation program in Hubei and consistently ranking among the top nationwide in multiple rounds of assessments by the Ministry of Education. Currently, WHSU enrolls students from across the country in 27 undergraduate programs, among which 13 are recognized as national or provincial first-class undergraduate programs. These programs span seven academic fields: education, literature, management, science, engineering, arts, and medicine. The university offers 41 courses designated as national or provincial first-class undergraduate courses, and has been awarded 31 provincial-level honors for model courses, teaching teams, and exemplary teaching organizations. At the graduate level, WHSU is authorized to confer doctoral degrees in the first-level discipline of Sports Science and offers a professional doctoral degree in Sports. The university also holds master’s degree authorization in six first-level disciplines: Sports Science, Psychology, Journalism and Communication, Fine Arts, Special Medicine, and Business Administration, along with five professional master’s programs in Sports, Applied Psychology, Journalism and Communication, Dance, and Drama and Film. In addition, WHSU has established a postdoctoral research station in Sports Science.

WHSU boasts strong research capabilities, with 12 provincial or ministerial research platforms. In the past five years, the university has undertaken 57 national research projects and 294 provincial/ministerial level projects. It was the first sports university in China to be awarded a major scientific instrument development project by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The university has also undertaken 12 major or key projects under the National Social Science Fund of China and received more than 30 provincial and ministerial teaching and research awards. It hosts one National Sports Science Popularization Base and one top-level think tank of the General Administration of Sport of China. Journal of Wuhan Sports University is funded by the National Social Science Fund of China and is listed among the four major core journal indexes. Journal of Physical Education is recognized as an outstanding journal in Hubei Province and is included in the RCCSE China Core Academic Journals and the expanded edition of the Journal Evaluation Report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Evaluation Studies. The English-language journal Advanced Exercise and Health Science, launched in March 2024, has been indexed in the U.S. Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) database.

WHSU is home to an outstanding faculty, with 60% of full-time teaching staff holding senior professional titles. The teaching team has a balanced structure and high level of expertise, led by national talents, supported by provincial and ministerial level talents, and with young and middle-aged teachers as the mainstay.

WHSU is recognized for its excellence in competitive sports. In 1988, student Zhang Xianghua won a silver and a bronze medal in rowing at the Seoul Olympics, marking a historic breakthrough for China’s rowing team and setting a precedent for sports university students winning Olympic medals. Over the past four decades, WHSU has cultivated and sent forth a large number of elite athletes, including Meng Guanliang, Yang Wei, Cheng Fei, Guan Chenchen, Wang Zongyuan, Wang Zhouyu, Lyu Huihui, Sun Yuewen, and Wang Zifeng, all of whom have excelled on the international stage. Athletes from WHSU have won a total of 218 gold medals in the world’s three major competitions (including 3 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze at the Tokyo Olympics), 112 gold medals in the Asian Games (27 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games), and 127 gold medals in the National Games (including 22 gold, 15 silver, and 19 bronze at the Shaanxi National Games). The university has been awarded the “Contribution to Sports” prize by the General Administration of Sport of China and recognized as a National Key High-Level Athlete Training Base.

WHSU pursues a strategy of openness in its operations. The university has established exchange and cooperation agreements with over 100 universities, sports education and research institutions, and world-renowned sports organizations in more than 30 countries and regions. Domestically, WHSU collaborates extensively with local governments, sports bureaus, industry associations, and enterprises across various provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions throughout China in areas such as scientific and technological services, the training of reserve sports talents, and the development of the sports industry. The university hosts the China Triathlon Academy, China Aquatics Academy, China Boxing Academy, China Bodybuilding and Fitness Academy, China Dragon and Lion Dance Academy, as well as the Asian Gymnastics Training Center and the International Gymnastics Academy, which is certified by the International Gymnastics Federation.

Looking to the future, WHSU remains committed to guiding itself by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It firmly grasps the new situation and requirements of higher education reform in this era, keeps in mind its mission to foster talent for the Party and the nation, and fully aligns itself with the national strategies of building a strong country through education, sports, and health. The university is making every effort to become a leading applied research-oriented sports university in China and a world-class institution in its field.

(Updated in November 2024)