From podium to classroom, China's retired sporting heroes are embracing a new education and training program to facilitate their post-athletic transition to future roles with international governing bodies.
Once competing under the same banner at major international events, China's table tennis legend Ma Long, world champion curler Wang Bingyu and shot put great Gong Lijiao were among 10 retired athletes who reconnected in a classroom at Beijing Sport University on Wednesday.
They are now study partners who form the inaugural class of the Champions' Global Competency Enhancement Program — a tailor-made post-retirement training initiative for world-champion-caliber athletes launched by the Chinese Olympic Academy — at the university.
The one-year program aims to empower the athletes with a curriculum in foreign affairs, communication, international sports rules, sports management and foreign languages, preparing them for future career opportunities in international sports governance.
Seminars, case study sessions and overseas study trips are also part of the curriculum. They are expected to help students put the knowledge gleaned in class into practical application, further preparing them for a future working with international sports organizations.
The first class of 10 athletes features Olympic and world champions from a wide range of disciplines: Ma (table tennis), Gong (shot put), Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (figure skating), Lei Sheng (fencing), Dong Dong (trampoline), Wang (curling), Xu Shixiao (canoeing), Chen Peina (sailing) and Zang Yize (short-track speed skating).
Several of them are already working with their respective international sports bodies and are expected to bring existing experience to the class.
Ma, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, who is currently a vice-president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said he's eager to make up for his lack of skills in international communication and management, having devoted his entire life to training and competition as an athlete.
"Obviously, I have a lot of catching up to do," Ma said before attending his first class on the program on Wednesday, one day after celebrating his 38th birthday.
"Once we step away from the competition arena, we are basically new learners with huge room to improve."
"I cherish this opportunity very much. An athlete has a limited competitive career. This program helps me see my post-athletic career from a new perspective."
"I hope I can help Chinese athletes' voices to be heard on the global stage, share Chinese sports stories worldwide and that we can all promote the perseverance and fighting spirit we have forged as athletes in our new roles."
Li Lingwei, an IOC Executive Board member and dean of the Chinese Olympic Academy, encouraged her younger compatriots to take full advantage of the program and get involved with international sports governance whenever the opportunities present themselves.
"Global competency does not come automatically with being a champion in sports. It can only be built, bit by bit, through continuous study, repeated training and real-world practice," Li, a retired badminton legend, said during his opening speech.
The deep understanding of their respective sports, proven credibility as champions and familiarity with foreign colleagues and governing body officials have given her fellow students an edge in navigating through the challenges of their post-athletic careers, Li added.
For curling world champion Wang, a priority in her career with the international governing body is to bring back best practices in curling promotion from around the world and translate them into development of the sport at home.
"I want to be a pathfinder for the next generation," said Wang, who captained the Chinese women's squad to its first and only world championships title in South Korea in 2009.
"I hope what I learn can pave the way for younger athletes, so they can step onto the international stage with greater poise and confidence."
The program blends online and offline teaching under a three-stage framework: domestic training, overseas study trips and comprehensive practice sessions. The first-stage training sessions run from Wednesday to Saturday at Beijing Sport University.
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