[1] BSU was founded in 1953 as the Central Institute of Physical Education (中央体育学院).

[1] Situated in the Haidian District of Beijing, BSU covers a total area of approximately 1,400 acres, with a total construction area of approximately 600,000 square meters.

BSU has a faculty of 1,027 with a current enrollment of 14,000 students with 8,265 undergraduates and 2,255 postgraduates.

As of 2015 BSU teachers and students have collectively won 73 gold medals in the Olympic Games.

[2] There are 39 undergraduate majors offered across 20 different colleges, covering a range of subjects in the humanities, sports science, education, the sciences, economic theory, and communications.