More Chinese Olympic champions well educated

The men's 100m sprint was held at the Bird's Nest stadium on the night of August 17, 2008. Unfortunately the bespectacled Chinese sprinter Hu Kai failed to make the semi-final, clocking 10.40 seconds on August 16. But as a Tsinghua University student he did attract the attention of the public. Olympic champions Zhang Xiangxiang, Yang Wei, and Gao Ling are all postgraduates whose educational qualifications aroused public interest. Talented athletes combining higher education with top sports skills have become the darlings of the Chinese Olympic team.

Well-educated champions

Deng Yaping, a legendary Chinese table tennis champion, has also demonstrated a superior talent for the pursuit of knowledge. From a grade three pupil, she became an English major at the Foreign Language Department of Tsinghua University. She then gained a Master's Degree from the University of Nottingham, and went on to study for a PhD. in Land Economy at the University of Cambridge.

Chen Jing, the first table tennis champion, also obtained a PhD.

Following their example, weightlifting champion Zhang Xiangxiang, who has already obtained his Master's Degree from Beijing Sports University, plans to continue his studies in pursuit of a PhD.

Chen Yanqing, another weightlifting champion, also revealed her plan to study for her Master's Degree in applied psychology at Suzhou University.

According to a survey of Chinese Olympic champions conducted jointly by www.cuaa.net, University magazine, and 21st Century Talents, since 1984 over 80 percent of Chinese Olympic champions have received university or two-year college education, and 28 percent have at least a Master's Degree.

A large number of postgraduates have taken part in the Beijing Olympic Games – Zhang Xiangxiang, Yang Wei (combined gymnastics gold winner), fellow gymnasts Sun Dan and Zhang Shuo, badminton player Gao Ling, tennis player Li Na, and fencer Dong Guotao – these highly-educated athletes have also displayed superior sports skills during the Beijing Olympics.

Yang Wei

28-year-old Yang Wei showed his unquestionable gymnastic talent at the Beijing Olympics. He has many consummate skills and his special expertise lies in men's floor exercise and rings. Yang won two gold medals, one in the team event and the other in the individual combined. He is truly the "combined king".

Chen Yanqing is the deputy director of Suzhou Sport Bureau. Zhang Xiangxiang gained his Master's Degree in sports and training. He uses what he has learnt to train himself in a scientific way, thereby avoiding injury and achieving peak performance.

Most of the Chinese Olympic team members with higher education choose subjects like business management, sports, foreign languages, media, laws, Chinese and psychology. But no matter what major they choose, as Yang Wei said, the time they have available for their University studies is limited by the demands of their training.

Socializing with their fellow students on campus provides them with a different type of success. Thanks to their education, people like Yang Wei, Zhang Xiangxiang, and Gao Lin have also developed as individuals. They are refined in manner and civilized in speech. Speaking with Chen Yanqing, it is difficult to connect this articulate woman with her old image of a weightlifter who struggled to express herself.

Different education patterns for sports people

Universities have a particular approach to the higher education of their athletes.
Tsinghua University recruited nearly 30 champions in 1997. More recently that number has dropped. Although they recruit many talented athletes among their high school students every year, such students have to pass the entrance examination and achieve the required score. They can continue their sports training once they have joined the university, but they have to study hard for their majors because they need the necessary credits to graduate successfully.

Before they become famous sports stars, many athletes receive only primary or middle school education. Such athletes may now further their education at Renmin University of China (RUC). Several springboard divers, including Wu Minxia and "springboard queen" Guo Jingjing, are now studying at RUC. Currently they attend a special class. After retiring from competition they will be treated as other students. They have to sit exams, and only after they have the required credits can they successfully graduate. Typically they will have to study 2 or 3 years longer than normal students, and they will have about two years of catching-up on their middle school studies before they come to RUC.

Among Chinese universities, Beijing Sports University (BSU) is the most popular with athletes. Many famous athletes choose to further their studies there. In order to meet their needs BSU has arranged a special postgraduate class for high performers. Olympic champions Zhang Yining and Huang Xu once studied in this class. Those who come to study at BSU want to move on from their career as athletes into other fields.
Often they will choose a major related to their sport and once they graduate they can become coaches or sports administrators without the need for further training and study. Weightlifting champion Zhang Xiangxiang has already obtained his Master's Degree. He will become a BSU lecturer after the Beijing Olympics.