Once again, a star
It was under these circumstances that on July 14, Zhang Shangwu was photographed and placed on the blog of a passing commuter. By July 15, the blog had received more than 30,000 comments and Xing Aowei, a Chinese gymnast who had won several gold medals for competing in the 2004 Sydney Olympics and was a former teammate of Zhang's, wrote a message on his own blog asking readers to assist Zhang however they could. Within days Zhang had been whisked away by members of China's media and placed in an upscale Beijing hotel. His family, which has been repeatedly visited by members of Hebei's provincial team leadership wishing to express support and offer assistance, was also flown to Beijing. And, judging from the number of "well-intentioned people" who have offered to assist him in returning to school or finding work, it seems that the former gymnast should be able to finally escape from his circumstances.
However, despite Zhang's recent fortune, it is clear that the Hebei resident was not the only one of China's retired athletes to fall into poverty after the conclusion of their athletic careers. As Jin Shan, head of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences Sports and Culture Research Center, told reporters, "Zhang Shangwu's situation will not be the only case. In the history of China's athletics, few of the most famous athletes are able to retire smoothly when all is said and done. Most athletes will discover after they retire from their careers that they lack any skills needed by society." And, although Jin did state that the Chinese government "has begun to attach importance to the education of retired athletes," judging from Zhang's case it seems clear that it has a long way to go.
