"I'm scared." Deng Zhuo (pseudonym), an 8-year-old boy who put on boxing gloves for the first time, instinctively closed his eyes when facing his opponent who was slowly lifting up and wearing protective gear. In this regard, the coach did not urge him, but picked up a soft glove wrapped in thick sponge and gently touched his forehead: "Let your body adapt first."
In the mixed martial arts training institution run by national second-level athlete Zhang Jutao, such adaptive training is an introductory course for every new student.
On November 1, 2026, the "Youth Sports Training Code of Conduct" (hereinafter referred to as the "Code") issued by the State Sports General Administration began to be implemented. The "Standards" consist of seven chapters and 30 articles, which put forward specific requirements in terms of venue facilities, courses, coaching staff qualifications, fee management, and safety guarantees for youth sports training. It also clarifies that the "Standards" apply to extracurricular sports guidance, training and training activities for teenagers aged 7 to 18 years old. Youth sports clubs, sports training institutions, sports schools, etc. are all within the scope of management.
An interview with a reporter from "Rule of Law Daily" found that currently, different sports training institutions have different recruitment standards, qualification verification and ability training for coaches. In the context of the implementation of the "Standards", how to consolidate safety management responsibilities at all levels, properly control the "coaching" of youth sports training, and allow children to achieve healthy physical and mental growth while receiving professional guidance has become a realistic proposition that all parties in the industry must face.
Keep abreast of career thresholds
"The most recognized ones are the national first- and second-level athlete certificates." Zhang Jutao's organization is located in Tianjin, and his rigid threshold for coaches is that they must have a bachelor's degree from a sports college. In his view, public welfare social sports instructor certificates and basic coaching certificates issued by some individual sports associations may not fully prove the actual level of the coach.
Wang Chen (pseudonym), who graduated from a sports college with a bachelor's degree and is engaged in badminton teaching in Guangzhou, Guangdong, found that when recruiting coaches, some small clubs pay more attention to whether the coach can play and teach moves, and less about checking professional background and coaching qualifications.
When some parents choose a coach, they do not focus primarily on qualification verification. Ms. Zhao from Chengdu, Sichuan, signed up for swimming lessons and tennis lessons for her two children. She admitted frankly that she did not deliberately check the credentials when choosing a coach. "You can tell whether the coach is good or not by observing him in class." Zhang Jutao also found that many parents cannot tell the difference between different certificates and can only judge the teaching ability and level of coaches through classroom performance.
The reporter noticed that the "Standards" broadened the scope of qualifications for coaching personnel, and adjusted the "relevant certificates recognized by the sports administrative departments at the provincial level (inclusive) and above" required in the "Codes of Conduct for Extracurricular Sports Training" issued in December 2021 and expired on December 14, 2024, to "other relevant certificates stipulated in laws and regulations that are compatible with youth sports training."
Experts interviewed said that this adjustment has streamlined the judgment rules, which not only reduces the differences caused by local independent identification, facilitates the flow of coaching staff, but also leaves reasonable space for adapting to the teaching needs of different projects.
Wang Xueli, director of the Sports Industry Development Research Center of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, has long studied sports industry, youth training-related policies and industry governance. She told reporters that sports training highly relies on offline real-person contact and specialized venues, and has high requirements for teachers, but good practice does not mean good teaching. "Youth sports training not only requires coaches to master sports skills, but also involves education, moral demonstration and communication skills. Even if you are a professional athlete, it is not necessarily suitable for teaching to young people with the purpose of cultivating interests, physical exercise and mastering basic skills."
Wang Xueli analyzed that the "Standards" allow the provincial level to establish files of coaching personnel, identify relevant qualifications, and form a mutual recognition mechanism. This method not only takes into account the actual situation of different projects and different practitioners, but also facilitates the cross-regional mobility of coaching staff.
"The "Specifications" also proposed the establishment of coaching personnel files, continuing training and industry exit mechanisms. In the past, the management chain of youth sports training coaches was incomplete, and there was a relatively lack of clear requirements for the growth, quality management and exit mechanisms of coaches." Wang Xueli said that the "Specifications" try to connect these links and improve the management chain from entry to growth and exit.
Keep the bottom line of safety
The reporter noticed that the "Standards" require training institutions to conduct background checks on the employees to be hired, and include those with illegal and criminal records such as sexual assault, abuse, trafficking, violent injury, etc., as well as those who are in the industry ban period, and clearly prohibit the hiring of on-the-job teachers in primary and secondary schools and kindergartens.
"Qualifications respond to 'can you teach?' and background checks respond to 'can you teach?'" Wang Shirley said that the "Standards" put background checks at the forefront, which reflects the "prevention first" requirement in the Minors Protection Law and related legal concepts. However, background checks are not foolproof and still require full supervision and evaluation.
"Background checks are an important pre-insurance, but they cannot solve all problems." Wang Shirley gave the reporter an example. For example, if a coach swears in teaching, instructs his players to hurt opponents during a game, or falsely reports his or her age, or uses the older to defeat the younger, these behaviors may not necessarily be discovered through background checks, but they will also affect young people. Therefore, continuous attention and evaluation of coaches are needed.
In addition to personnel access, safety management during the coaching process is equally important. The "Specifications" put forward specific requirements for the collection and storage of video images in training venues in the safety requirements section. Zhang Jutao noticed that the "Standards" clearly stated that youth sports training subjects should set up video image collection devices in indoor and outdoor locations where training is conducted. The collection and playback of video images can clearly identify the physical characteristics of the personnel, and the video data should be retained for no less than 90 days. In his view, necessary process traces can help clarify responsibilities when disputes occur.
Compared with training institutions with fixed locations and management entities, the management boundaries of some "personal coaching" and "door-to-door sports" services are more complex.
Zhang Jutao observed that there are cases where college students work part-time in door-to-door teaching, and some services lack standardized operating entities and corresponding insurance protection. He believes that this reminds parents that when choosing a coach, they should not only focus on personal skills, but also understand who provides the training services, whether they have the corresponding operating conditions, and how responsibilities will be divided after an accident.
Regarding training forms that are outside of conventional management, such as the use of public venues for training and personal coaching on-site teaching, Wang Xueli suggested strengthening supervision from three aspects: personnel, venues, and funds, and strengthening risk warnings to consumers. "This type of training method has hidden risks and dispersed responsibilities. How to build a systematic and effective supervision mechanism is a question that must be answered when the "Specifications" are implemented." She said.
Promote implementation
"The most direct impact of the implementation of the Code is to break the information asymmetry in the industry." Chang Sha, a lawyer at Beijing Jingdu Law Firm who has handled dispute cases related to youth sports training, said that it is difficult for ordinary consumers to distinguish whether sports training is scientific and compliant. The implementation of the "Specifications" will not only help ensure that consumers receive qualified training services and boost consumer confidence, but also positively encourage compliant school-running institutions and protect the healthy development of the industry.
Wang Shirley believes that the key to promoting the effective implementation of the "Norms" lies in strengthening departmental coordination, improving local implementation mechanisms, and giving full play to the professional role of sports associations to standardize governance and build a legal defense line for the healthy development of the industry and the protection of minors' rights and interests.
In this regard, she made three suggestions.
First, strengthen departmental coordination and promote database construction. On the basis of departmental collaboration, a database of coaches and training institutions can be established to achieve relevant information sharing, mutual inquiry and connectivity, and improve supervision efficiency with the help of technology and data means.
Second, give full play to the professional advantages of individual sports associations and improve industry standards. The association can use its own advantages to formulate standards for coaching personnel and youth sports skill level standards, and carry out continuing education for coaches and higher-level professional training.
Third, it can promote localized management and improve the operability of supervision. Territorial management is a relatively realistic, pragmatic and feasible path, and relevant mechanisms should be implemented in conjunction with local realities.
Chang Sha believes that for the "Standards" to be effective, the key is to connect them with the penalties of laws and regulations such as the Minors Protection Law, Sports Law, and Consumer Rights Protection Law, so that "norms set standards and laws govern consequences." For example, if a training institution fails to carry out background checks in accordance with the law or hires personnel with criminal records such as sexual assault, it may face penalties such as orders to make corrections, fines, or license revocation in accordance with the Minors Protection Law and relevant penalties; if it causes damage to minors, it must also bear relevant responsibilities in accordance with the law.
In view of the characteristics of multiple youth sports training formats and scattered scenarios, Chang Sha suggested establishing a cross-department information sharing mechanism to collect training institution qualifications, coaching staff registration, prepaid accounts, and complaint handling information on one platform to connect, check and use each other. Industry associations also organize self-inspections on benchmarking, and regulatory authorities publicize complaint reporting channels and coaching qualification inquiry portals. "Let parents have access to make inquiries and complaints, so that social supervision can keep up."
Wang Shirley said that the implementation of the "Standards" requires both institutional supply and implementation. Only by breaking down departmental barriers, activating professional forces, and consolidating local responsibilities can youth sports training be promoted from simply training skills to educating people through sports. (Reporter Zhao Li, intern Lu Yingge)
