(CFP)

Tourists and residents enjoy the newly built water park in the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, the Olympics venue popularly known as the Water Cube, which opened on August 8.

August 8, the date of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, has been designated as National Fitness Day since 2009 to raise people's awareness of fitness and exercising.

Tens of thousands of people took part in various sports-related activities around China to mark the occasion. The State General Administration of Sports called on municipal authorities to open sports venues, including 850,000 gymnasiums and stadiums, to the public for free that day.

China implemented a national fitness program in 1995.