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Many former medalists fall on hard times
By Ni Tao |
July 25, 2011, Monday
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CHINA'S basketball giant Yao Ming announced his early retirement last Wednesday, a decision that saddened many fans.
But with all he has achieved over the past decade, Yao can bow out with his head held high. Besides, livelihood isn't a concern for him, a millionaire investor, who said in his farewell speech that "life closed a door today but it may open another tomorrow."
For some retired athletes, however, what awaits them on the other side of the opening door is endless hardship.
Gymnast Zhang Shangwu was at his prime when he became a champion at the 2001 Universiade. What a difference 10 years can make - he was found to be virtually leading a beggar's life in Beijing several weeks ago.
Hobbled by an Achilles tendon injury sustained in training in 2002, he was forced to retire one year later.
Zhang remained unemployed thereafter and was even jailed for three years and 10 months in 2007 for larceny. He eventually made a living by performing acrobatics on the street.
Zhang's plight again shed slight on the Chinese sports system that some criticize as callous in its treatment of "expendable" athletes who have lost their ability to win medals.
To be sure, he is partly to blame for his own situation. Penury is no excuse for theft. And despite injuries, he could still land a modest job.
However, official indifference to his woes does illuminate a less glamorous aspect of China's vaunted sports system. Although it's admired for nurturing some of the world's top athletes, the glimmering medal tally cannot overshadow the insufficient care and protection given to less successful athletes after their retirement.
Back in university, I once had the privilege of having Sun Wen, the former captain of China's women's soccer team, as my deskmate. She received higher education as a reward for her sports contribution.
Not everyone is so lucky. For those who make it to the top of the sporting hierarchy and win medals at the Olympics, enormous bonuses and honors are conferred on them.
Athletes who retire in obscurity or through injuries can expect no such benefits. They are left to fend for themselves. Sometimes even championships cannot ensure a life of comfort.
Zhang is not alone in this regard. Ai Dongmei, a former marathon champion, had to sell her gold medals in 2007 to make ends meet; national weight lifting champion Zou Chunlan ended up as a masseuse at a bathhouse after she was repeatedly fired by her employers.
Their fortunes changed for the better after media pounced on their stories and sports authorities intervened to offer belated help.
The miseries some have been battling are more than just financial. They are "the insulted and the humiliated," to borrow Dostoevsky's words.
Expendable
Southern Weekend reported last year that gymnast Dong Fangxiao, a bronze medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was stripped of the medal last April after an International Olympic Committee probe found that her coach entered her in an event for which she, being too young, was ineligible to compete. When she retired, Dong was abandoned like a worn-out tool. To add insult to injury, the national gymnastics center said she falsified her age by herself - a dubious claim given evidence of official accomplicity.
It often pains me to see young gymnasts, mostly kids from poor rural households, subjected to a training regimen as harsh as military discipline.
Instead of teetering on the balance beam and making awe-inspiring jumps, they ought to be happily enjoying their childhood. They can't. On their delicate shoulders is the disproportionate burden of attaining glory for the nation.
Deprived of time to study, they boast no marketable skills. Retirement for them is often the beginning of painful reorientation of life.
Xinhua opined on July 19 that Yao Ming and Zhang Shangwu are two polarized products of China's sports training system. And they both need attention.
While Yao is being turned into a legend, shouldn't our sports officials make it up to the many unsung heroes to whom they owe a great deal for their services and sacrifices?
But with all he has achieved over the past decade, Yao can bow out with his head held high. Besides, livelihood isn't a concern for him, a millionaire investor, who said in his farewell speech that "life closed a door today but it may open another tomorrow."
For some retired athletes, however, what awaits them on the other side of the opening door is endless hardship.
Gymnast Zhang Shangwu was at his prime when he became a champion at the 2001 Universiade. What a difference 10 years can make - he was found to be virtually leading a beggar's life in Beijing several weeks ago.
Hobbled by an Achilles tendon injury sustained in training in 2002, he was forced to retire one year later.
Zhang remained unemployed thereafter and was even jailed for three years and 10 months in 2007 for larceny. He eventually made a living by performing acrobatics on the street.
Zhang's plight again shed slight on the Chinese sports system that some criticize as callous in its treatment of "expendable" athletes who have lost their ability to win medals.
To be sure, he is partly to blame for his own situation. Penury is no excuse for theft. And despite injuries, he could still land a modest job.
However, official indifference to his woes does illuminate a less glamorous aspect of China's vaunted sports system. Although it's admired for nurturing some of the world's top athletes, the glimmering medal tally cannot overshadow the insufficient care and protection given to less successful athletes after their retirement.
Back in university, I once had the privilege of having Sun Wen, the former captain of China's women's soccer team, as my deskmate. She received higher education as a reward for her sports contribution.
Not everyone is so lucky. For those who make it to the top of the sporting hierarchy and win medals at the Olympics, enormous bonuses and honors are conferred on them.
Athletes who retire in obscurity or through injuries can expect no such benefits. They are left to fend for themselves. Sometimes even championships cannot ensure a life of comfort.
Zhang is not alone in this regard. Ai Dongmei, a former marathon champion, had to sell her gold medals in 2007 to make ends meet; national weight lifting champion Zou Chunlan ended up as a masseuse at a bathhouse after she was repeatedly fired by her employers.
Their fortunes changed for the better after media pounced on their stories and sports authorities intervened to offer belated help.
The miseries some have been battling are more than just financial. They are "the insulted and the humiliated," to borrow Dostoevsky's words.
Expendable
Southern Weekend reported last year that gymnast Dong Fangxiao, a bronze medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was stripped of the medal last April after an International Olympic Committee probe found that her coach entered her in an event for which she, being too young, was ineligible to compete. When she retired, Dong was abandoned like a worn-out tool. To add insult to injury, the national gymnastics center said she falsified her age by herself - a dubious claim given evidence of official accomplicity.
It often pains me to see young gymnasts, mostly kids from poor rural households, subjected to a training regimen as harsh as military discipline.
Instead of teetering on the balance beam and making awe-inspiring jumps, they ought to be happily enjoying their childhood. They can't. On their delicate shoulders is the disproportionate burden of attaining glory for the nation.
Deprived of time to study, they boast no marketable skills. Retirement for them is often the beginning of painful reorientation of life.
Xinhua opined on July 19 that Yao Ming and Zhang Shangwu are two polarized products of China's sports training system. And they both need attention.
While Yao is being turned into a legend, shouldn't our sports officials make it up to the many unsung heroes to whom they owe a great deal for their services and sacrifices?
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