In 2026, the European Society for Medical Oncology issued an express update to its Clinical Practice Guideline for Localised Colon Cancer. On the basis of randomised evidence from the CHALLENGE (CCTG CO.21) trial, patients with stage Ⅲ or high-risk stage Ⅱ colon cancer who had undergone curative resection and completed standard adjuvant chemotherapy. This article interprets the new recommendations, eligible population, exercise dose, level of evidence, key findings of the CHALLENGE trial, and practical implications for translation into general surgical practice in China. The guideline emphasises that healthcare professionals should inform eligible patients of the potential survival benefit of structured exercise and, after assessing their physical fitness, comorbidities, personal preferences, adherence barriers and financial burden, use shared decision-making to determine whether to recommend participation in a structured exercise programme. The CHALLENGE trial showed that a 3-year structured exercise programme improved disease-free survival and overall survival; however, its target population mainly comprised patients with good performance status who had completed standard adjuvant chemotherapy, and implementation requires trained personnel, behavioural support and integration into follow-up systems. This update indicates that postoperative management of localised colon cancer is moving beyond recurrence surveillance toward quantifiable and evaluable proactive rehabilitation. In China, localised exercise-prescription pathways should be explored through multidisciplinary collaboration, taking into account surgical recovery, anastomotic or stoma-related issues, baseline physical function and available healthcare resources.