Jump rope association changes name

Imaginechina

The renamed Shanghai Jump Rope Association will continue to promote the sport by enhancing communication between domestic and international skippers.

The association held a general assembly at Shanghai University of Sport recently during which a new board of directors was elected. Also, the name of the association was changed to “Shanghai Jump Rope Association”, from the previous “Shanghai Rope Skipping Association” to be in line with the names of international associations, including the newly established International Jump Rope Union.

According to Li Shengxi, general secretary of the Shanghai Jump Rope Association, rope jumping has been promoted among the public, especially the younger generation, since the association was established in 2014.

Twenty-one international and domestic competitions have been organized in the past five years, including the Shanghai Rope Jumping Championship, the Shanghai International Double Dutch Contest, and the Shanghai Rope Jumping Elite Contest.

The latest edition of the Shanghai International Double Dutch Contest, which was held at Qingpu Indoor Stadium last month, attracted nearly 60 teams from home and abroad. An individual speed contest world record was also created.

A total of 640 sports teachers from 525 primary and middle schools round the city have taken part in training organized by the association over the past five years. A grading system has also been set up to estimate the skills of individual rope skippers.

The association sent a performing team to entertain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Rope skippers from the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Brazil and Japan have also been invited to communicate with their Chinese counterparts.

“Rope jumping has been a traditional sport in China,” said Pan Qin, the newly elected director of the Shanghai Jump Rope Association. “The association will improve its managing structure and continue to enhance the popularity of the sport in Shanghai and China.”