Community sports are a key area for promoting the in-depth development of socialized sports for all. This study aims to reveal the current application status and optimization paths of community sports policies in China through policy tool analysis and promote the high-quality development of community sports. The research focuses on the distribution characteristics of policy tools and the participation of multiple stakeholders, providing a scientific basis for policymakers. Method: This study selected 30 community sports policy documents issued by the state from 2004 to 2024. NVivo12 qualitative analysis software was used in combination with content analysis to construct a two-dimensional analysis framework. The study encoded and analyzed the policy documents from two dimensions: policy tools (supply-oriented, environmental, and demand-oriented) and policy utility subjects (government, social organizations, enterprises, and individuals). Through quantitative analysis, the frequency and distribution of policy tools were revealed. Research findings indicate that the distribution of community sports policy tools is uneven. Supply-oriented policy tools dominate (55.98%), mainly focusing on human resource support and infrastructure construction, but financial investment is severely insufficient (4.83%). Environmental policy tools are relatively weak (38.61%), with a clear bias towards goal planning and legal regulation, while tax and financial incentives are almost ignored. Demand-oriented policy tools are at a disadvantage (5.41%), with overseas exchanges being dominant, but government procurement and service outsourcing are seriously lacking. The analysis of the main policy effect subjects shows that the government and social organizations are the main drivers, while the participation of enterprises and individuals is relatively low. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant imbalance in the current community sports policy in terms of the use of policy tools and the participation of multiple stakeholders. It is suggested that the top-level design of community sports policy be improved by rationally allocating policy elements, optimizing the proportion of policy tools, balancing the participation of multiple stakeholders, and promoting the scientific production of policies. Future research should further track the policy-making process and explore the policy diffusion mechanism to promote the effective implementation and continuous improvement of community sports policies.
Boda Song (Thu,) studied this question.