CPC 101: They Are Also CPC Members – Li Ning, "Prince of Gymnastics"

At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a torchbearer rose up in the air, stepped on the “auspicious clouds” on the “aerial runway”. He slowly lit up the “auspicious clouds scroll” with the torch in his hand, and then ignited the main cauldron of the Olympic Games.

His name is Li Ning, the “Prince of Gymnastics”, and in 1999 he was rated one of the “25 Best Athletes of the 20th Century” by the International Sportswriters Association along with “Ballon d’Or” Pele and “Air” Jordan.

In his 17-year career, Li Ning became world champion 14 times. The International Gymnastics Federation named several gymnastic moves after him. With his three gold, two silver and one bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he was selected twice as one of the “Top Ten Athletes in China” and joined the CPC the following year.

In 1990, he retired from gymnastics and founded Li Ning, a professional sports brand company that he has been running ever since, which later became a globally renowned company with an annual turnover of over 14 billion RMB.