Zhou Xiaoyun, a dedicated principal of an amateur sports school on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, has devoted the past decade cultivating a remarkable group of talented young athletes from the grasslands, guiding them through the challenges they faced and helping them achieve their sports aspirations.
After graduating from Qinghai Normal University in 1996, Zhou became a physical education teacher. In 2003, she started her decade-long career at Haibei Amateur Sports School in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. Her ultimate goal is to empower these mountain-born athletes to make the leap from local teams to higher-level competitions and global platforms.
When Zhou arrived, she found herself facing a daunting task, as the school was severely understaffed, with a mere three employees, including herself, to manage the entire operation.
"We didn't have an office, desks or chairs. The desks and chairs, two in total, were provided by the sports bureau. Therefore, it was incredibly tough. During our training sessions, we had to train on the roads or in the nearby square," Zhou said. Initially, Zhou was disheartened by the school's condition, but a pivotal moment arrived in the summer of 2003 when the Qinghai Provincial Sports Bureau implemented a province-wide overhaul of sports school layouts, aimed at enhancing youth sports training and athlete selection processes.
Through visiting nearby schools and organizing initial training sessions, Zhou gradually discovered that there were many sports talents hidden in the grasslands.
"I brought a group of over a dozen children to a provincial competition. They were all ethnic minorities, Tibetan children, hailing from pastoral areas. After just a short period of training, they were able to outperform athletes from professional teams who had been training for one or two years. Moreover, their spirit of never giving up, their relentless perseverance on the field, was particularly inspiring," Zhou said.
From that moment on, Zhou decided to nurture the athletic talents of these children.
"Their pursuit of sports, their simple and sincere love for it, made me feel that I must guide these children. I am determined to lead them down a path that allows them to carve out a route through sports," she said.
Compared to most youth sports schools in China, the students' weaker physical capabilities and relatively outdated hardware facilities at Zhou's school did not deter her and the children from persevering. They motivated each other to exert more effort and overcome various challenges, believing that their dreams, though not yet within reach, would undoubtedly materialize.
Over the years, due to various reasons such as lack of parental support and injuries, many children selected for the sports school were sent back home, which deeply disturbed Zhou. She resolved not only to uncover talents and lay a solid foundation for them but also to make every effort to assist them in persevering towards reaching higher-level teams and broader platforms.
Kyihor Bongya, a student at Haibei First Senior High School, began training at the sports school at the age of 12. He continues to train during every winter and summer vacation.
Bongya has harbored a deep passion for soccer since his early years. In his second year of junior high school, Zhou singled him out, aspiring for him to join the training sessions of the Haibei Youth Soccer Team.
"I have a deep love for soccer. I am a 'crazy envoy of soccer' on the green field. I see this as my future and strongly believe I should follow this path. So, when I insist on it with my family, telling them I want to go and not come back home because I want to play matches, they disagree. Their primary concern is for my well-being, fearing that I might get injured," Bongya said.
At that time, Bongya's parents did not support him; they did not understand what kind of future such training could bring to their child. Zhou made multiple visits to the pastoral area for home visits, but almost every time she faced resistance. She had to seek help from the village secretary.
"The parents continued to look at us with that distrustful gaze. After repeating ourselves many times, they still did not understand, as they were not familiar with sports. After bringing the village secretary over, the secretary explained repeatedly in Tibetan and communicated with them until they felt they understood. Only then did they feel reassured enough to entrust us with their child. On my way back, I felt a mix of complex and heavy emotions. For the students, each mountain was their way back home. However, for me, perhaps if I gave up on this child, he would stay in the mountains," Zhou said.
Under Zhou's persistence, Bongya successfully joined the soccer team and later participated in the local "Youth Super League." Now, at the age of 17, his dream is becoming increasingly clearer.
"In the future, I will return to my hometown and become a soccer coach or something similar. I will lead these kids and play soccer with them, helping them to achieve their dreams as well. This is my biggest aspiration," Bongya said.
For over a decade, Zhou has sent over 300 talents from her school to sports schools and teams in Qinghai and even major sports universities across the country.
"We have increased the number of coaches from the original three to six, and we have also recruited additional coaches through other channels. Among our coaching staff are graduates from esteemed sports universities such as Beijing Sport University, some of whom hold master's degrees. I firmly believe that our amateur sports school is far beyond amateur. Children from both our grasslands and cities equally benefit from this high-quality and professional training," Zhou said.
What makes Zhou happy is not only the continuous growth of the coaching team but also the annual updates to the sports school's facilities, providing a better environment for children to undergo training.
When asked about their aspirations, one young athlete revealed that his ultimate goal is to compete at the pinnacle of the sport, the FIFA World Cup.
"I want to become a professional athlete and play professional soccer," he said.
"I want to bring glory to our country. If I had the ability, I would definitely lead the Chinese team to the World Cup," another young athlete said.
Coach in northwest China inspires youth to pursue sports dreams
