Sports System Leaves Athletes Unready for Retirement, Ex-gymnast Says

(Beijing) – The state-run sports system behind China's impressive results at international competitions has left many athletes incapable of adjusting to retirement, a former gymnast says.

Sang Lan was one of China's leading female gymnasts in 1997 when she was 17 years old. Her career came to an abrupt end at the Goodwill Games in New York when she suffered a spine injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down.