Quzhou's sports industry has developed rapidly over the past few decades. Athletes from Quzhou have stood out and shone on the world stage.

For example, in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Quzhou athlete Zhan Xugang won the gold medal in the 70kg weightlifting category and broke three world records. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he won another gold medal in the 77kg weightlifting category and became the first Chinese weightlifter to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals.

Zhan also excelled in the Asian Games, winning gold medals in the 70kg weightlifting category at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994 and the 77kg weightlifting category at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.

Other Quzhou athletes have also achieved great success. On July 30, 2021, Huang Yaqiong won silver in the mixed doubles after three rounds of fierce competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Huang, born in Quzhou in 1994, has won mixed doubles gold medals in various major badminton tournaments, including the German Badminton Open, All England Open Badminton Championships, and Malaysia Open. She also won the BWF World Championships three times.

Former Chinese women's volleyball player Qi Lili is also from Quzhou. She won the women's volleyball championship with her teammates at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games.

On May 4, Yu Yiting, a girl from Changshan county, won the women's 400m individual medley final in the 2023 National Swimming Championships with a time of 4 minutes and 35.61 seconds.

Quzhou has also produced many other successful athletes in various sports, such as volleyball, football, swimming, and chess. The city is committed to developing its sports industry and cultivating more talented athletes.