Chinese Olympians explain how to become a professional athlete

When the keywords sports and China come up, the next logical thought is usually: Olympics. Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and in 2022 China's capital will also host the Winter Games. In addition to professional sports, popular sports have also been extremely promoted in recent years.

But Beijing is not the only metropolis in the giant empire dedicated to sports. Also 1200 kilometers to the south in Shanghai, the city government is of the opinion that sporty citizens are healthier and thus happier citizens.

ISPO.com spoke at the ISPO Beijing with Zhang Liang, Deputy Secretary of Youth League Committee of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, about the promotion strategies of the authority and the new cooperation between the ISPO Shanghai (July 5-7), the Shanghai Sports Bureau and TED Talks.

ISPO.com: Mr. Zhang, what exactly are the tasks of the Shanghai Sports Bureau?
Zhang Liang: The Shanghai Sports Bureau is responsible for the implementation and management of sports events in the metropolis. At the same time, the Shanghai Sports Bureau trains squad athletes, promotes mass sports, and manages all public recreational sports facilities.

ISPO Shanghai 2018 will see cooperation between the Shanghai Sports Bureau, ISPO and TED Talks. What can visitors to the fair expect in July?
The basic idea of the "Life Track" project is to tell moving stories of Chinese athletes in various sports. For me, as Deputy Secretary of Youth League Committee, it's all about motivating young athletes with these stories. We deliberately chose to let the athletes themselves tell their stories, because nothing is more authentic than experiencing a life's journey firsthand.

Which athletes have you already been able to recruit for "Life Track"?
Among others, we were able to win Wu Minxia, who won four Olympic gold medals as a synchronized diver on the 3-meter board from 2004 to 2016. In addition, she also secured the gold medal in individual diving from the 3-meter board in London 2012. Also taking part is track cyclist Gong Jinjie, who won gold in the team sprint at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

What topics do the athletes talk about?
Mainly, our athletes talk about their careers and how sports-mad kids became professional athletes. We want to show the audience - most of whom are parents with their children - what it takes to pursue a career as a professional athlete. Training, sacrifice and at the same time all the positive experiences that sport can give you, the audience should experience all this first hand.

How did the cooperation with ISPO Shanghai come about?
The first contacts were made at ISPO Shanghai 2017. Chen Xin, founder of the Floorball Development Center in China, was at the trade fair as a speaker and also works closely with the Shanghai Sports Bureau. There were initial discussions and so the idea was born to bring "Life Track" to ISPO Shanghai. Shanghai Sports Bureau is always very interested in establishing new collaborations to create cultural exchange and to meet the highest standards in the field of sports internationally.

So where and when can you watch the TED Talks other than at ISPO Shanghai?The videos can be accessed on Tencent, and later this year there will also be a WeChat account where the videos will also be available. In addition, we have cooperations with TV stations in Shanghai.

But the Shanghai Sports Bureau is not only present in the digital realm. What is your bureau's offline strategy?
Many of our athletes want to make an active contribution beyond their TED Talks and help local children in Shanghai. Currently, baseball and fencing are very popular sports and poorer families in particular don't have the financial means to introduce their children to these sports. This is where our athletes come in and organize training sessions, for example.

How many children can participate in these training sessions?
The baseball project, for example, will initially be rolled out to four schools, allowing us to reach approximately 300 children between the ages of six and eight. There will be regular training sessions, and in addition there are plans for league play, which more schools can join later.

However, the Shanghai Sports Bureau isn’t just represented in the digital sector. What is your agency’s offline strategy like?
Many of our athletes want to make an active contribution beyond their TED talks and help children on site in Shanghai. Baseball and fencing are very popular sports these days, and poorer families especially don’t have the financial means to introduce their children to these sports. This is where our athletes come into play and organize training units, for example.

How many children can participate in these training units?
The baseball project, for example, will initially be rolled out to four schools, reaching around 300 children between the ages of six and eight. There will be regular training and a league operation is also in the works that can be joined later by other schools.