The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) shares the joy and honour of the Chinese gymnasts who have recently won the Gold Medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in men’s and women’s gymnastics. In 2005, PolyU was designated by the Chinese Olympic Committee as a research and technology development partner for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and has then sent forth multi-disciplinary experts of its Faculty of Health and Social Science (FHSS) – from such fields as nursing, rehabilitation, optometry, health technology, physiotherapy, sports therapy and psychology – to Beijing to help prepare the Chinese gymnasts and other athletes for the Games.
Since 2006, Dr Bob Chen, Assistant Professor of FHSS, and a professional team comprising four physiotherapists have been staying in Beijing to provide sports rehabilitation and physiotherapy services to the Chinese gymnasts. By integrating the Chinese and Western therapy techniques, the PolyU experts have helped the gymnasts recover from injury and strengthen their physical condition. Among the Chinese gymnasts, Li Xiaopeng, the renowned world champion who had suffered from ankle injury for years, recovered and gave his best performance ever in the Games.
During the Beijing Olympics, PolyU has also sent forth a team of over 60 volunteers to Beijing, Tsingtao and Hong Kong to provide physiotherapy services to the athletes from different parts of the world.
In 2007, PolyU was designated by the National Sports Training Centre (NSTC) as the state authority’s long-term collaborative research partner. PolyU and NSTC will jointly explore the possibility of launching a unique educational programme for retired or retiring Chinese athletes, preparing them for a professional career utilising their wealth of experience in sports.
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