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Swim star shines
By Bivash Mukherjee 2002-9-23
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AUSTRALIAN swimming sensation Ian Thorpe is making a splash in China 鈥?away from the pool.

The world record holder and Olympic gold medalist is on his first trip to the main-land, but for reasons few would associate with a teenager. Thorpe is in China to raise money for a school for disabled children in Beijing.

The 19-year-old has won enough gold and silver medals to fill a treasure chest. The Aussie rocketed to international fame as one of the stars of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where he broke the 400-meter free-style world record and claimed three gold medals and two silvers, earning the sobriquet “The Thorpedo.”

Such have been his exploits in the world of sports that he beat the likes of Formula One ace Michael Schumacher and golf king Tiger Woods for this year’s World’s Most Outstanding Sportsman award in the U.S.

But few know that Thorpe is also a man of charity.

Through his Ian Thorpe Foundation for Youth, he has raised funds for children’s causes worldwide.

“The trust was founded in 2000 and launched by Australian Prime Minister John Howard. There is a board that makes decisions. It deals with children’s issues specifically,” the swimmer, who was on a two-day Shanghai stopover last week en route to Beijing, said.

Thorpe will auction one of his autographed, long-sleeved swimsuits in Beijing tomorrow. The money will be donated to the Beijing Zhiguang Special Education and Training School, which was established in 1998 to help pre-school and school-aged disabled children and provide vocational training to disabled school students.

The swimmer will meet Beijing Municipal Govern-ment representatives and get an insight on the city’s preparations for the 2008 Olympics. He will also receive the award for “the most popular sporting personality in China.”