Guangzhou Sport University (GZSU), founded in 1956, is the only independent institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate education in sports in South China and entitled to award associate professorship and master’s degrees. In 2008, GZSU has completed with honors the undergraduate teaching assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education.

GZSU has about 8,000 students on campus, of which nearly one eighth are postgraduate students. GZSU also trains sport students in collaboration with the Center for Handball, Hockey, Baseball, and Softball of the State Sports General Administration and doctoral students jointly with the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education.

GZSU curricula cover six disciplines: education, humanities, economics, management science, art, and medicine and offers ten MA programs, including a level-one discipline program, namely Physical Science, which is one of the key disciplines in Guangdong Province; seven level-two discipline programs, including Physical Education and Training, Sport Humanity and Sociology, Sports and Human Movement Science, Traditional Sports, Leisure Sports Science, Sports Journalism and Communication, and Sports Rehabilitation Science; one MA degree in Sports Medicine; and two taught MA programs in Professional Journalism and Communication, and Professional Sports Science respectively.

There are 18 undergraduate majors: Physical Education, Professional Sports Training, Wu Shu and Traditional Sports, Social Sports Guidance and Management, Science of Human Movement, Leisure Sports, Special Education, Journalism, Broadcasting and Hosting Art, Dance, Dance Performances, Sports Rehabilitation, Economics, Public Utilities Management, Preschool Education, Performance Management, Playwright and Director for Radio and Television, and Rehabilitation Therapeutics.

Of the 18 majors, Science of Human Movement, Physical Education, and Social Sports Guidance and Management are being developed as national-characteristic specialized programs. Journalism, Wu Shu and Traditional Sports, and Professional Sports Training are being developed as provincial-characteristic specialized programs; Physical Education, and Science of Human Movement are brand majors of Guangdong higher education; Leisure Sports is the key major of Guangdong. Physical Education, Special Education, Leisure Sports, Science of Human Movement, Dance, and Wu Shu and Traditional Sports belong to the programs for an attempted comprehensive reform in Guangdong Province.

GZSU has 2 national-level quality courses, including Sport Biochemistry and Sports Biomechanics. Sport Biochemistry is also a national-level resource-sharing course. In addition, there are 6 provincial-level quality or resource-sharing courses, 3 provincial-level quality open online video courses, 6 centers for demonstrative teaching, 3 provincial-level teaching teams, 7 provincial-level bases for tertiary practice teaching and 3 provincial-level experimental zones for innovative teacher’s development.

GZSU has a strong staff, with 420 full-time teachers, over sixty percent of which possess postgraduate degrees and half of which constitute senior professionals or technical personnel. The renowned staff consist of members of the Sports Committee in the National Steering Committee of Education, experts in the Subject Planning and Evaluation Group for the National Social Science Fund, members of the National Fitness Expert Committee of the State Sports General Administration, experts enjoying the State Council special allowance, nationwide outstanding teachers, a runner-up for the National Science and Technology Progress Award, a winner of China Youth Social Education Ginkgo Award, renowned teachers for the "Guangdong Special Supporting Teaching Plan", Pearl River Scholars, one successor of China's two-finger Zen (two-finger-stand, a Chinese kongfu) and a large number of world-class coaches and referees. Bai Yansong, the famous CCTV host, and Rong, Zhihang, Vice Chairman of China Football Association and other domestic and foreign dignitaries are employed as visiting professors or honorary advisers.

There are a good number of key research platforms in GZSU, including, the Key State Sports General Administration Lab and the Key State Sports General Administration Research Base, the National Demonstration Center for Scientific Fitness, the National Fitness Research Center, Guangdong Tertiary Key Lab, Guangdong Tertiary Research-type Key Lab, the Guangdong Tertiary Platform of Cooperation and Innovation with Abroad, Hong Kong and Macau, Guangdong Tertiary Engineering Technology Research Center, and Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Base

GZSU also possesses a few important training centers, including the National Youth Campus Football Training Base, the National Social Sports Instructor Training Base, the State Sports General Administration Training Base for Wu Shu Force Project, the National Aerobics Training Base, Chinese Badminton Association Training Center, the Training Base for the Baseball Section of Chinese University Sports Association, the National Youth Sports Club and the first National Children’s Palace of Sports. GZSU has the examination and approval authority over Category I judges, and Level I athletes.

GZSU hosts three academic journals: Journal of Guangzhou Sport University (JGZSU), Sports Teachers, and Swimming Quarterly. JGZSU is one of Chinese core journals in humanities and social sciences. The library of GZSU has become the largest sport literature data center in South China. The Archives Office has become “National Level II Science and Technology Archives Management Unit.”

The undertaken key projects include the national natural science fund projects, the national social science fund projects, and the Olympic scientific research projects. The major awards and honors consist of “National Scientific and Technological Progress Second Prize”, “Science and technology Advanced Collective of the Olympic Games” and a large number of scientific invention patents.

GZSU has a strong international connection with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Finland, South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam, and also much cooperation with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau in talents cultivation and joint research. There are about 40 international students a year studying in GZSU in recent years. In 2010, the university undertook the “2010 Asian Games Science Congress”, pioneering the undertaking of a large scale international sports science congress by a single university in China.

For 60 years after its foundation, GZSU adheres to the basic principle of education, namely, “to establish morality and to educate people”, devoting to the teaching of the socialist core values, talents’ development, scientific research, social services and cultural inheritance. GZSU has made great contribution to the economic development of China and received full affirmation from society. GZSU has trained numerous scholars, teachers, instructors, administrators and many outstanding Olympic golden medal winners, like Rong Guotuan, Qi Lieyun, Chen Xiaoxia, Xian Dongmei. GZSU was the only university awarded “The South Canton Campus Annual Person” in the past three consecutive years.

GZSU has obtained great support from the government. Upon the foundation of the university, Zeng Sheng, Vice governor of Guangdong Province; Zhu Guang, Mayor of Guangzhou, and Sun Yueyi; Vice Mayor of Guangzhou once served as Party Secretary or President. GZSU has also attracted many famous educators, Such as Yun Jun, a famous sports educator and a pioneer in promoting militarization of sports; Huang Xiaoxia, an internationally renowned master of martial arts; Zhang Dengkui, “Special Contribution Award” winner awarded by ITTF; Liang Zhuohui, China’s first table tennis coach, Huang Zhuorong, "King of Frog Swimming", Sun Ziping, an outstanding track and field coach, and Zhuang Zedong and Feng Guohao, two table tennis world champions. With all the efforts, GZSU has gradually formed an education philosophy of “putting fitness first and integrating sports humanities and technology” and exhibits a school characteristic of “developing Lingnan sports culture, educating sports talents in South China, and focusing on sports and health.”

In the future, the university is to stick to the party’s education policy and the socialist orientation, adhering to the motto, "De Hou Xue Bo, Wen Jing Wu Jie", by which, “De Hou” means “a strong moral”, “Xue Bo”, “erudition”, “Wen Jing”, “proficiency in arts science” and “Wu Jie”, “mastery of martial arts”, and carrying forward the hard-working spirit of Rong Guotuan. United and innovation-driven, GZSU staff is striving for the construction of a distinctive high-level sports University.