Passing on sportsmanship

In September 2021, then 31-year-old Ding began to study for a master’s degree in physical education at Peking University after her retirement. While studying, she also works as a teacher in the campus’ advanced table tennis class.

After retiring from the arena, Ding has now fully adapted to campus life.

“When I was an athlete, I maintained an intensive daily training schedule,” Ding said. Now back on campus, Ding enjoys more stability and a shifted focus.

From discussions with teachers and fellow students, Ding believes that campus sports are currently receiving greater attention.

Ding has been focused on the promotion of youth campus sports, hoping to apply her specialization in physical education and contribute to national fitness.

“This process is blissful to me; I look forward to working with more people to inspire discovery and understanding of sports from a different perspective, so that Chinese people can exercise better and benefit from it longterm,” Ding said.

In 2014, Fitness-for-All was made a key national strategy.

“Focusing on meeting people’s demands, we must build more facilities for Fitness-for-All activities and establish a higher-level public service system for Fitness-for-All programs,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, who has on many occasions expounded on his understanding of sports and laid down principles for the cause.

By the end of 2020, 37.2 percent of people in China were recorded as regularly participating in physical exercise, and 90.4 percent had passed the country’s standard physical fitness examination. By the end of 2021, there have been more than 2.7 million certified social sports instructors in China.

From the pursuit of “peak competition” to the promotion of public fitness, and now as a student, Ding not only teaches professional table tennis skills but passes on the tenacious spirit of sportsmanship to her students.

“I hope to make more people feel and obtain the resilience that sports bring, to ‘hold on a little longer’ when they encounter difficulties and setbacks,” Ding said.

“The Party and the country have provided diversified choices for the future development of the youth, and I believe that the Chinese youth will emerge on the world stage in more fields and gain more ‘champions’ in the future,” she said.