S. Korean institution helping retired athletes make career transition

By Yoo Jee-ho INCHEON, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Former Nigerian sprinter Seun Ogunkoya was once the youngest man ever to break the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter dash but is now a retired athlete hoping to build an equally successful second career. As unlikely a destination as it seems, it is in South Korea that Ogunkoya found just the place to help him. The two-time African champion in the 100m is one of 17 students from eight different countries at the International Sports Relations Foundation (iSR) Academy. Located in the international business district of Songdo in Incheon, west of Seoul, the academy was established last year by the International Sports Relations (iSR) Foundation. It is sponsored by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, among other partners. The academy seeks to help retired athletes make a smooth transition into a new phase of their life by equipping them with theoretical knowledge, practical skills and work experience -- the likes of which most athletes can't develop or acquire during their competitive careers. It offers English language courses in the mornings, and runs classes on a wide range of sports-related topics, including sports marketing, venues and event management, coaching and sports physiology, in the afternoons. All lectures are conducted in English, and though there are some students from the same country, they're all encouraged to speak English in the classroom. Ogunkoya, who ran the 100m in 9.97 seconds at 19 years, 197 days in 1997, said he chose to enroll at the academy because he needed "more experience" outside of sports. "In Africa, there's no opportunity of this kind," said the two-time African champion in the 100m. "I am here to learn more, whether it's physiology or English. My goal is to become a coach." The 17 students -- Olympic or Asian Games medalists and continental champions, the types with their own Wikipedia pages -- are here on full scholarships, which cover tuition and board. The students also receive monthly stipends. To be admitted, candidates must have participated in the Olympics, Paralympics, world championships or continental multisport competitions. Candidates must also have "a sufficient command of spoken and written English." A letter of recommendation from the IOC, ANOC or their respective national Olympic body can be a plus. Adam Pengilly, the academy's director and a member of the Athletes' Commission at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said the academy aims to help athletes overcome an identity crisis of sort after their competing careers are over. "We want to prepare them for the next stage of their life and give them direction," said Pengilly, a two-time Olympian for Britain in skeleton. "As an athlete, you're institutionalized -- not dissimilar to being in the military for a long time -- and the sport is your passion and love for life. All of a sudden, it is gone, and you lose your place in the world. Your identity is a big question mark. The way you value yourself can be a challenge. It's important to help that transition." Pengilly said the academy's focus is on addressing two "deficits" that former athletes may have compared to others: skills and experience. "We're trying to make sure all of our students have a good level of English, and they also work on presentations skills and networking skills, so they're more polished," he said. "We work hard at IT and computing. Those skills are going to be useful wherever they go." The academy came into existence last year after Pengilly and Moon Dae-sung, his fellow IOC member on the Athletes' Commission from South Korea, talked about challenges of post-competition life for athletes. "In some places, you have to choose either the academic or the sporting path, and if you go down the sporting path, you can only be an athlete for a finite amount of time," Pengilly said. "Then you have half of your life, or even more, to carry on, but with 10 to 15 years less work experience than others. You don't have academic qualifications and don't have other training. It's a tough change." And Catherine Ewa Ekuta, who represented Nigeria in women's judo at the 2004 Olympics, would be the first to tell you she had a sheltered life as an athlete, always following a set routine. She came to South Korea so she could have "a normal life experience" outside the gym. And Ekuta said she has also enjoyed the academic side. "The more we learn, the more we discover we have more to learn," she said. "It can be sports marketing, managing or English. It shows that there are so many things to do." Park Jin-seup, one of two South Koreans in the class, also said courses at the academy have peeked her interests in many different areas. The cricketer competed for her country at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Before making the national team, Park said she'd been preparing to become a physical education teacher, and she felt she needed to learn more about sports-related occupations. "I came here to learn English and to get a sports-related job later," Park said. "But there is so much more that I want to learn, and I would now like to pursue further studies. I think the experience here has broadened my horizons." Studying here has also been an eye-opener for Zhong Ni, a former synchronized swimmer from China. "For athletes, the focus is narrow. It's mostly on training," said Zhong, a Beijing native who hopes to work for the city's organizing committee for the 2022 Winter Games. "We don't have the experience to get to know the real world. When I retired, I found the new world. And I've met students from different countries here. The academy helps you know many sides of the world that you didn't know before." Some of the 17 students are from developing nations, and in Pengilly's mind, South Korea is the perfect place for them to work on their transition. "One of the fascinating things I learned about Korea is that the country has turned itself around incredibly," Pengilly said of the nation's rise from the ruins of the 1950-53 Korean War to become a major economy. "It's a good story for our students. 'If a whole country can do it in such a short period of time, you can do it.'" Gerda Krumina, a two-time Olympic biathlete from Latvia, also offered some practical advice for younger athletes. "Never stop learning because life never stops teaching you lessons," she said. "They need to understand an athletic career is a very short period in life. There are many possibilities in what you can do in the next phase in your life. Set goals. Go for them. Follow them with hard work and believe in yourself." Zhong said "many good qualities" that athletes possess, including their self-discipline and the ability to work in a team, can serve them well in their life after retirement. Eum Jee-soo, a former sprinter and the other South Korean in the class, stressed the need to take the initiative. "Most Korean athletes tend to follow the path set up by their coaches or parents," Eum said. "Even after they retire, they're always looking for someone else to give them direction. I think we should all find our own ways. If we don't find them by ourselves, then there will be no opportunities." jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)