Abstract: Based on the achievements of China's sport development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025) and in response to the opportunities and challenges arising from global and domestic changes, this study examines the strategic directions for sport development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), providing insights for policy formulation. Through an analytical framework of "strategic foundation – environmental perspective – strategic direction", the study finds that China's sport development has formed the basic outlook of "system innovation to guide the governance modernization; key business to support the high quality development, and multiple functions to serve the national strategies". However, it also faces constraints including the changes from international environments, the domestic structural transformation, and the insufficient and unbalanced sport development. Aligned with the goal of building a leading sports nation by 2035, a "12345" pathway should be adopted in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, that is, to strengthen "one strategic objective", to clarify "two main focuses", to achieve "three dynamic shifts", to advance "four strategic tasks", and to consolidate "five primary responsibilities", thus to make sport development the landmark initiative of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.