With a population of 1.3 billion people, competition is a main part of Chinese culture. Whether it is in careers, academics, or economics, China will stop at nothing to be the best. Athletics have made a big leap in the last 15 years. At the Beijing Olympics, China had 639 Olympians compete and won 100 medals, 51 of those being gold. They ended up finishing first overall. The Chinese athletes have schools like Shichahai Sports School to thank. Shichahai Sports School is a school where children can board and train in a specific sport. They accept students aged six to eighteen. Students enroll to hone their skills and to be the best they can be. It sounds like a regular sports camp, but it is far from it. While attending this school, students are pushed to their limit. They endure pain, hardships, and criticism every day. Coaches have been accused of physical and verbal abuse towards their pupils. It is comparable to a boot camp: if you are not working hard enough, you will be humiliated, yelled at, and punished. Blaise Glowiak’16, commented:“I think it is very inhumane to treat children like that.” Some children are being forced into going to this school by their parents, and others go voluntarily, hoping to succeed in the sport that they are training in. The children are only allowed to see their parents on the weekends, yet there is little push back. Parents are more concerned about the money and fame that their children will obtain by competing in professional sporting events, rather than their child’s well being.

Parents are able to pull their children if they feel necessary, and some students can even drop out. Xiaohong Xu, the Wilmington Friends upper school Chinese language teacher, used to train to be a table tennis player at a sports academy like the Shichahai Sports School. She commented on how she quit: “I was in a sports academy as a table tennis player, but I was lazy. I quit… More parents feel hesitant to do this (enroll their children) because of the outcome.

Many claim that the negative effect these schools have on the children is not worth it. The kids are not getting any real education, and there is always a possibility that professional sports will not work out. They can not get a well-paying job without a proper education. The aftermath of the training can be severe. Ex-athletes have been known to have severe health issues after the training process. Some cannot even perform what they have been training for correctly due to these health problems.

On the other hand, these schools can be a great opportunity for some children. Sports academies give less fortunate kids a chance to help them and their family. Margeaux Pantano ’16, said, “Even though it seems like very difficult training, it is a great opportunity presented for children. Some of the kids who came from nothing are talented and able to train enough to become potentially successful athletes.” There have been many successful Olympic athletes that have come from schools like Shichahai Sports School, such as former NBA all-star Yao Ming.

China is not the only country that has children attending sports schools. Singapore, Russia, East Germany and North Korea also have schools revolving around athletics. They are called “Olympic Reserve schools”. Wherever these schools may be, people need to be aware of the toll they are taking on these young athletes, and kids should be given the choice if they want to attend or not. It is unfair that children are forced into these academies against their will.  But from the other point of view, these schools provide opportunities that some children need to help their families financially.

This summer, the Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro. It will be interesting to see how China and other countries that have incorporated sports academies to their athletics score in this worldwide event. Perhaps other countries will start to follow in their footsteps if they notice that this is making a difference in their medal count. The Olympics are about having fun and are not to be taken too heavily.