Chancellor Biddy Martin presents UW t-shirts to a group of nine Chinese student-athletes at a welcome event at Olin House.
Eleven Chinese champion student-athletes, including four Olympic medalists, are spending six months living and studying at the UW-Madison as part of a groundbreaking partnership with Beijing University of Sport, the foremost sports, physical education and exercise science institution in China. This first-of-its-kind collaboration was jointly announced by Chancellor Martin and Beijing University of Sport vice president Chi Jian in Beijing on March 27, 2010.
The Chinese Champions Workshop will provide the student-athletes, who are current graduate students, with a non-degree seminar to build their English, science, leadership and coaching skills.
The world-class athletes come from various sports, such as track, speed skating, swimming, table tennis, skiing, curling or gymnastics. The best known are Luo Xuejuan, Olympic gold medalist in swimming, and Xing Huina, Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 10,000 meter run.
Classes include English as a second language, kinesiology, physical education instruction, dance, American and Western history, plus experience with the UW Athletic Department. Students are enrolled in the newly formed Wisconsin Institute for Global Leadership and will receive a certificate for participating. They also are visiting historical sites in Wisconsin and the United States.