Part 2: The hardships of 'going to school'

After retiring (usually between the ages of 25 and 30, or after 30 for most sports), athletes face fierce competition in the job market to make a living. An educational background plays a crucial role in helping these sports heroes find stable employment, but for a long time, athletes' education has not been given the importance it deserves, often being treated merely as a formality.

Not only in Vietnam, but in many countries around the world, athletes often struggle with their studies. The reason is simple: sports is a unique profession that demands rigorous training, intense concentration, and continuous practice every day for 10 to 15 years, consuming a great deal of energy for physical activities, leaving no time for studying.

A former Vietnamese football player recounted how he used to balance training and studying in middle school, where he played football in the mornings and attended classes in the afternoons (and vice versa). However, on days when he trained in the mornings, he would just... fall asleep at school in the afternoons because he was too tired.

This is also a common sentiment among many athletes, who sacrifice their youth to sweat it out on the training ground and in competitions, making it difficult for them to attend school and pursue their studies like normal people.

Hanoi FC captain Nguyen Van Quyet has earned his bachelor's degree at the age of 32.

Photo: FBNV

It's important to emphasize that many Vietnamese athletes come from impoverished rural areas, growing up in hardship and poverty, so they understand the importance of knowledge better than anyone else. However, once they become involved in sports, especially when they turn professional, the time for training becomes even more limited. The "cram training" method, which forces athletes to train intensely in concentrated camps, focusing solely on eating, training, and competing year-round, has been a hallmark of Vietnamese sports for decades.

An athlete's day typically begins with breakfast, personal hygiene, morning training, followed by lunch, rest, and then afternoon training. Evenings are a rare opportunity for athletes to "burn the midnight oil reading," but after exhausting their energy during the day's training, can those pursuing a career in sports truly devote themselves to intellectual pursuits at the end of the day?

Young players from the PVF Youth Football Training Center - Ministry of Public Security receive a cultural education at Vinschool. Improving professional skills alongside building a solid cultural foundation for athletes is crucial in Vietnam's sports development strategy. Enhancing professional skills while simultaneously building a strong cultural foundation for athletes is a key element in Vietnam's sports development strategy.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

The Vietnamese general education program places a strong emphasis on knowledge accumulation during the period from 12 to 22 years old. In sports, regardless of the discipline, this is the time when athletes must train intensely, dedicating maximum effort and time to training, or sometimes even traveling for training and competitions far from home, making studying even more challenging.

A former SEA Games champion once revealed to the press the story of being suspended from school for being too busy training internationally, resulting in missing more than 45 days of classes. Similarly, fans are no longer unfamiliar with the stories of national champions who, upon retirement, had not even finished middle school or high school, and some even only completed... the 5th grade.

Studying hard for a better future after retirement.

The sweat and tears of generations of athletes during their arduous training have helped Vietnamese sports achieve numerous records and resounding successes. However, sports is a unique profession, and athletes have a relatively short career lifespan (10-15 years). While competing, athletes may be famous and champions. But upon retirement, many athletes return to square one, starting over from scratch after the age of 30, in a labor market that is increasingly younger in age and more professional and well-educated.

Those with the ability, connections, and favorable circumstances can transition to coaching or sports management to pursue their passion in a different way. This path is most common in football. In other sports, shooting has coaches Nguyen Thi Nhung and Hoang Xuan Vinh, iconic successors with impressive competitive careers. Gymnastics has coach Truong Minh Sang, who once competed in numerous Southeast Asian championships as an athlete. Weightlifting has Vuong Thi Huyen, the SEA Games 30 champion (2019), now a youth coach, and athletics has the "golden girl" Nguyen Thi Huyen, now also a coach, inspiring the next generation.

Ánh Viên is not only an exceptionally talented athlete, but also a diligent and academically gifted one. She graduated with honors from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Sports and Physical Education.

PHOTO: FBNV

However, less than 20% of athletes become coaches after retirement. The majority of athletes have to relearn and start over in other professions, most of which are unrelated to sports. The skills athletes spent their youth honing are no longer their livelihood. They need education, knowledge, and professional skills to make this career transition.

Understanding the importance of nurturing athletes' knowledge, over the years, the Party, State, and Government have created conditions for sports heroes to both train and compete while simultaneously pursuing their education to prepare for the post-career phase. Article 5 of Decree 36/2019/ND-CP stipulates that athletes who achieve outstanding results in national or international sports competitions may be granted special exemption from junior high school or high school graduation if the examination period coincides with the time the athlete trains abroad or participates in international sports competitions.

Article 6 further states that national sports team athletes who have graduated from high school and have been certified by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as having completed their participation in the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, ASIAD, Asian Championships, Asian Cup, SEA Games, Southeast Asian Championships, and Southeast Asian Cup will be given priority for direct admission to sports or physical education majors at universities and colleges.

Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh (right) graduated with a master's degree from Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports.

At the same time, the agency employing the athletes is responsible for organizing supplementary cultural education for the athletes after they participate in training and competitions at domestic and international events, and for covering the costs associated with organizing this supplementary education.

Compared to 10-15 years ago, the current generation of athletes receives a much more formal education. Many athletes are striving to train and study simultaneously. For example, some athletes at the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi are taking advantage of their free time between training and international competitions to earn a bachelor's degree. Similarly, some players on the Hanoi women's team are attending evening classes to obtain qualifications, preparing for their careers after retirement.

Students at the Bac Giang T&T Football Center combine academic studies with training and competition.

But...

Combining in-person and online learning with flexible schedules also gives athletes more opportunities to access knowledge without interrupting their training. An anonymous athlete shared that when attending school, athletes are given more time for studying compared to regular university students. However, the overlapping schedules of practice sessions, exams at school, and training still cause many to struggle. "It's very difficult to balance studying and competing, but we have to strive for our future," an athlete affirmed.

Furthermore, the "opportunistic" learning style of athletes raises questions about its actual quality. The training process is too fragmented over many years (some athletes take 6 years or more to graduate), making it impossible to study intensively in school, or many athletes begin their studies at an older age. With such a foundation, can athletes absorb enough knowledge and soft skills to compete in the job market, where today's graduates and engineers are very well-trained, systematic, dynamic, and adaptable, far more so than athletes who spent years confined to training centers? (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ky-2-gian-nan-chuyen-cap-sach-den-truong-185250611103040729.htm