The purpose of this study was to track the retired Chinese elite athletes and identify selected demographic characteristics with special focus on their physiological parameters which would determine whether participation in elite training and competition has any effect on their long term physiological development. A total of 236 subjects (99 medal Winners, 63 non-medal Winners (162 in the elite group) and 74 in a Control group) were measured in height, weight, BMI and resting heart rate. Athletes were taller, heavier and have a lower heart rate than non-athletes. Significant differences were found in height, weight and resting heart rate which validates the premise that elite athletic training has a considerable impact on the long term physiological development of women. No significant differences were found in BMI. However, the differences in height, weight and BMI were not significantly different between the winners and non-winners. Additionally, it was found that elite athletes had significantly greater post secondary education opportunities than the Control group. Only 27.7% of elite athletes were married upon retirement at approximately 32.5 years of age
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