Abstract: Relying on the project database data of the Center for Cooperation between Government and Social Capital (CPPPC) of the Ministry of Finance, and adopting the methods of statistical analysis and comparative analysis, the PPP project of public sports services of 26 provinces in China was studied from the dimensions of project quantity, total investment, landing rate and bidding method, return mechanism and cooperation duration. The findings show that: (1) Since the public sports service PPP project was initiated in 2011, regional development has always been unbalanced, namely, the application of PPP mode in the construction of public sports service in eastern and western regions has developed well, while the growth rate in the central region lags behind. (2) Public bidding, feasibility gap subsidy and reasonable duration of cooperation are operational mechanism chosen under the existing institutional arrangements, and the more flexible the choice of mechanism, the better the project benefits can be optimized. To promote the sustainable development of public sports service PPP projects in China, we should create a favorable investment and financing environment, insist on the standardization of operation, build a return mechanism for the “integration of production and affairs”, and set a reasonable duration of cooperation.

Key words: public sports service, PPP, regional differences, CPPPC database, sports industry