US-based health club chain Bally Total Fitness has opened its largest health club in China under its joint venture with China Sports Industry.

Described as the most advanced of all its Chinese sites, the 45,000sq ft club is located in Shijiazhuang city in the Hebei province and will feature kick-boxing, yoga and group cycling.

There will also be nutritional advice to counter the increasing levels of obesity in the country; health experts claim an estimated 200 million Chinese will suffer from obesity within the next 10 years.

“With rising obesity rates and an urgent need for an emphasis on health and fitness, there is a tremendous market in China for fitness centres offering state-of-the-art facilities and affordable pricing,” said Paul Toback, president and CEO of Bally Total Fitness.

The company formed a joint venture agreement with China Sports Industry (CSI), a subsidiary of the China Sports Industry Group (CSIG), in 2002, with the aim of opening up to 100 Bally-branded clubs in the country.

This is the joint venture’s 10th site in China, which opened its first club in Beijing in 2002.