Former Olympic table tennis champion Deng Yaping has been appointed as an adjunct professor at China University of Political Science and Law (CUPS).
Deng, now 42, will work as an adjunct professor, without a pay, in the department of physical education for three years to help build the varsity table tennis program, the CUPS said in a statement on Monday.
"The appointment of Deng was based on the need to support the high-level table tennis varsity team's development, as well as to forge a vibrant sports culture at the university," the statement said.
One of China's greatest athletes in the 20th century, Deng claimed the women's singles and doubles gold medals back to back at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and also won 18 world championship titles.
Deng has retained a high profile in China after retiring in 1997. She earned a PhD in land economy from the University of Cambridge for research on the OLympic Games' influence on social development in China. After serving on the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission in the early 2000s, Deng joined the organizing commmittee for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.
She was appointed as deputy secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League of China in 2009. One year later, she was appointed deputy secretary-general of the People's Daily.
