Former NBA star Yao Ming watches a game in Shanghai during last year's NCAA China Tour. [Photo/Xinhua]

Handing Yuyou Media Group in Zhejiang province said in June it had signed a contract with Sun, who will become the company's first contracted entertainer.

Although he has yet to retire, the deal has paved way for Sun, who won the men's 200m freestyle in Rio, to cash in on his popularity for a new career in entertainment.

He is not alone.

A glittering array of retired sports stars, including Olympic men's diving champion Tian Liang, gymnastics champion Li Xiaopeng and two-time tennis Grand Slam winner Li Na have all tried their hands at TV acting and appearances on reality shows.

But Yang Yang, a former champion speed skater who is an International Olympic Committee member, said more all-around education and occupational training should be provided for a wider range of retired athletes - not just stars - to make the transition from sports to other workplaces.

"We've witnessed many sad stories of former champions struggling to make a living without sufficient skills and knowledge when their athletic fame dims. The lack of education in their early years should be made up," said Yang, who won China's first Winter Olympic gold medal in the women's 500m at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.

The most typical case Yang mentioned was that of Ai Dongmei, a former national marathon champion, who planned to sell all her medals in 2007 when she was unemployed.

To help fellow retired athletes rediscover their post-sports careers, Yang set up the Champion Foundation in Beijing in 2011, providing former athletes with language, occupational and human resource education.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn