Preparing for life after retirement

It is common for elite athletes to turn to coaching after their sports career is over. Some young local rowers are already preparing for life after retirement by joining programmes offered by the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

Fung Po-nam, 19, who has completed the Sports-General Theory Course of the Coach Accreditation Programme (Level 2), said: 'I'm really into rowing. It would be good to be a coach when I can't compete anymore.' The programme is tailor-made for elite athletes to fit their tight training and competition schedule.

The rower, a student at the University of Hong Kong, said the course would help him to become a coach later.

Under the programme, students learned about the athletes' diet, psychology, basic first-aid skills, and how to prepare training schedules.

'We attend training sessions now. After taking the course, we have a better understanding of the theory behind our own training programme,' said Fung's teammate, Tang Chiu-ming.

Tang said he found the course's nutritional segment very useful. 'Now I know what kind of food is good for us. I also know what we should avoid,' the 19-year-old athlete said.

Rower Lee Ka-chun, also 19, added: 'Diet is important for an athlete to maintain his good form.

'Athletes from different sports have different diets. As for us, we have to keep our weight down, but we need the energy to row. Therefore, we should have more carbohydrates and less protein.'

The three athletes who completed the course are planning to test what they have learned in real life. They will be coaching assistants for the Hong Kong Rowing Association which is promoting the sport among secondary schools.

Having been impressed by the positive comments of his teammates, 19-year-old Mok Yik-ming said he, too, would like to take the programme.

Mok hopes to be a coach one day. 'I have to take these courses sooner or later. It's better for me to start earlier,' he said.