Apart from Gu, there are also examples of Chinese athletes who took on the same role, include Olympic diver and International Swimming Hall of Fame member Gao Min, who was invited as a special representative from Asia when New York City was bidding to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, and China's top snooker player Ding Junhui, who was an ambassador when London was bidding to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Chinese former figure skating World Champion Chen Lu was also named ambassador for Sochi - one of the candidate cities bidding for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Michael Te Pei Chang, a former professional tennis player from the US, also served as a goodwill ambassador for the 2008 Beijing Olympic bid committee.