i am really glad she won her second olympic gold medal in beijing. her story can be read at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121824136943426125.html. the article is accompanied with a very short video interview of Chen Yanqing’s father.

In the States, one could set up a training camp and use your name recognition to sustain it. Do you know of that happening anywhere in China, Jenny?

i saw the video. i thought it’s tough for a kid to grow up living in sports school dormitories and rarely seeing their parents. but i also think many chinese are “genetically-ingrained” (ok it’s cultural) with filial piety and the great ability to 吃苦。so it’s a two-way street, parents hope their kids studying in sports school can one day will one day have their shining moment and have a rewarding life. children hope to repay their parents’ sacrifice through a successful sporting life.

but given the large number of kids in sports schools, only a tiny percentage will end up as world-class stars. so i hope that the prosperity in china’s coastal cities will spread through the interior and rural areas, so that these kids will have other options beside sports. not everyone can be liu xiang. and not every chinese world-class athletes become successful entrepreneurs like li ning, but i hope many will think like li ning and go on to have terrific post-sports careers.

Art,
The video might provide some answers. While affluent urban parents are reluctant to send their kids to sports schools, its still quite an appealing opportunity for the masses of rural population. Sports schools provide for the students, accommodation, food, small amount of subsidies and of course the chance of a successful sports career. It’s also worth noting that in those more demanding sports such as weightlifting, long distance running and gymnastics, almost all the athletes come from very modest background. I’ve seen many interviews where athletes say their biggest motivation is to provide a good life for their parents.