Gold Medal Minds: Olympic Athletes Bring Winning Spirit to the Classroom
Integration of Sports and Education: Olympic Athletes Bring New Vitality to the Classroom
As the new semester begins, students at South China Normal University and Longgui School in Guangzhou were treated to a unique “first lesson” by Olympic athletes Liang Weikeng and Zhong Jiaqi. The silver medalists in men’s doubles badminton and women’s hockey, respectively, shared their experiences and insights with the students, injecting new vitality into the integration of sports and education.
Liang Weikeng: Balancing Studies and Competitions
Liang Weikeng, a master’s student in sports human science at South China Normal University, spoke about his journey to the Olympics and the importance of balancing studies and competitions. “Winning the silver medal is an affirmation for myself. Next, I will set my goal on the BWF World Tour Finals at the end of the year!”
Duan Rui, dean of the School of Physical Education at South China Normal University, explained that the school has built an online learning model for professional athletes to facilitate their studies after training. The school will also develop a study plan for Liang Weikeng to help him develop his future career.
Zhong Jiaqi: Mentoring Future Hockey Stars
Zhong Jiaqi, the runner-up in women’s hockey at the Paris Olympics, shared her experiences and advice with students at Longgui School. “Through your own continuous efforts, you must believe that gold will always shine, and tell yourself that you can do it! Through daily training, you must be determined to achieve your goals and move towards them.”
Zhong Jiaqi also demonstrated hockey techniques and guided the students on professional movements. She advised future hockey stars to focus on basic skills in daily training, practice repeatedly without fear of hardship or fatigue, and maintain a positive attitude.
Longgui School: A Sports-Themed School with a Focus on Education
Longgui School is a sports-themed school in Baiyun District, Guangzhou. The school offers a weekly hockey class for third and fourth-grade students, popularizing hockey through the “one school, one product” course. The school’s physical fitness and health exercise standard test rate exceeded 70%, and the Guangdong Province junior high school physical fitness test rate in 2023 was as high as 95.53%.
Yang Guohua, principal of Longgui School, said that the school’s ultimate goal is to educate people through sports. “Sports is a means of education, and the ultimate goal is actually to educate people.”
Baiyun District: Exploring the Integration of Sports and Education
Baiyun District has been exploring the integration of sports and education since 2019. The district has incorporated the Sports School into the education system and established the Baiyun District Sports Education Center. The district has also broken down the barriers between competitive sports and school sports, improving the students’ talent channel of “interest stimulation-specialty formation-professional development”.
Chen Yongjun, deputy district head of Baiyun District, said that the district has performed well in sports performance, with athletes participating in the provincial games and winning gold medals. The district has also established a youth sports development platform, with 86 training base schools, 33 training projects, and 19 special key projects.