According to Tan Jianxiang, a sports sociology professor at South China Normal University, the rapid growth of the sports industry offers a great opportunity for the athletes to turn their experience and fame into business success, especially for those who don't want to spend the rest of their lives in bureaucracy.

"It is not that the retired athletes are so interested in political careers. Rather, having been dedicated to training and competition since they were very young, many of them have no idea what they could do other than sports. As such, securing a job in government bodies seemed a rational choice, which is often given to them as a return for winning glory for the country," he said.

"But now they have a bigger stage because the sports industry is taking off in China and the intangible assets of the champions are of great value."

Chen Yibing is one of those catching the trend. The three-time Olympic gold-medalist turned down the offer by the Tianjin Sports Bureau after retirement in 2013 and became a sports lecturer at Beijing Normal University instead.

However, Chen found the job not challenging enough and resigned a year later, starting his own online sporting goods business. In 2015, he launched the internet application Xing Dong, which teaches body building. The application received a 12 million yuan investment and has 700,000 registered users so far.

"I already ran six fitness clubs before retirement. I've been devoted to sports for more than 20 years, knowing a lot about the industry and having many friends in the circle. It is my advantage over the entrepreneurs coming from other fields," said Chen. But a start-up is never an easy job, he admits. "I now work 12 hours a day. I leave home before the baby wakes up and when I am back home, she is already asleep," said Chen, father of a 11-month-old girl.