Current status of talent cultivation in sports rehabilitation in China:based on World Health Organization rehabil-itation competency framework
CHEN Jian
LI Zheheng
WANG Dingxuan
Abstract：Objective To analyze the current status and existing challenges in talent cultivation for sports rehabilitation in China based on World Health Organization rehabilitation competency framework(RCF).
Methods Data were collected from 104 higher education institutions nationwide that offer undergraduate programs in sports rehabilitation,including enrollment scale,regional distribution,degree conferral and training curriculum.Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to examine the status and characteristics from three dimen-sions:institutional distribution,competency development and resource allocation,in terms of institutional type,regional distribution density,curriculum structure differences,competency-oriented training approaches and re-source allocation patterns.
Results Talent cultivation in sports rehabilitation in China currently faced a three-dimensional dilemma involving com-petency,resources,and public cognition.In terms of competency structure,a disconnect existed between medical fundamentals and exercise practice:physical education institutions provided insufficient medical training,whereas medical institutions lacked systematic instruction in exercise techniques.Regarding resource allocation,significant regional disparities were observed,with institutions heavily concentrated in Southwest(24.0%),East China(19.2%),and North China(15.4%),while Northwest China accounted for only 3.8%,forming a pro-nounced east-west gap.At the cognitive level,the public generally perceived sports rehabilitation as a service ex-clusive to athletes,and within the discipline,divergences persisted among the medical-oriented,sports-oriented,and integrated schools of thought.These challenges collectively hindered the quality of talent supply and regional balance.
Conclusion Talent cultivation in sports rehabilitation in China is at a pivotal stage of transition from rapid expansion to quality enhancement.It is necessary to realign the knowledge structure and competency system of training pro-grams with the five core competency domains of RCF.
Keywords：sports rehabilitationrehabilitation competency frameworktalent cultivation
Publication Date：2026-01-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-02-04(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 110-116 )