Sports stars who shone in politics
Imran Khan's anointment as Pakistan's new prime minister caps a more than two decade transformation from a World Cup winning cricket captain to a world leader, placing him in charge of a nuclear armed state. But he is not the only one to have swapped playing fields for the hustings. Here are five other sport stars who have made a similar switch:
George Weah: Khan's elevation to premier is only matched by George Weah, who was inaugurated as Liberia's president in January. Weah first learned to kick a ball in the slums of Monrovia, but went on to become one of Africa's greatest footballers, playing for a string of top European clubs and winning both FIFA's World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or. Weah avoided the brutal civil war that destroyed much of Liberia but vowed to put his wealth and fame to use, unsuccessfully running for president in 2005. Twelve years later he was triumphant, succeeding Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia's first democratic transition since 1944.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Before the silver screen and politics, Austria-born Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the world's best bodybuilders. While beefing up in a bid to get on his local soccer team, Schwarzenegger became infatuated by body-building, racking up title after title, until he became the youngest-ever winner of the Mr Universe competition. He moved Stateside to pursue acting and, despite his thick accent, finally made the big time in the 1980s with roles such as Conan the Barbarian and the Terminator. A moderate Republican served as governor of California for two terms.
Manny Pacquiao: Manny Pacquiao is idolised by millions in the poverty-afflicted Philippines after rising from the streets to the pinnacle of boxing. The winner of an unparalleled 12 world titles in eight different weight divisions, he has successfully parlayed his boxing fame into a political career. He was elected to the House of Representatives and then, in 2016, to the Senate, a high-profile national position which can be a stepping-stone to the presidency, an office he openly admits to having aspirations for.
Vitali Klitschko: Two-metre (6 ft 6 ins) -tall Klitschko went from a heavyweight champion who never suffered a knockdown, to a Ukrainian protest leader and current Mayor of Kiev. He was always viewed as something of a quiet intellectual on the world boxing circuit, a fighter fluent in several languages with a PhD in sports science who liked to relax with a thick Dostoyevsky novel.
Arjuna Ranatunga: Four years after Imran Khan captained Pakistan to World Cup cricket victory, Arjuna Ranatunga did the same for Sri Lanka in 1996. He entered politics soon after retiring, briefly serving as a junior tourism minister, before spending years in the opposition. In 2015 he became the first former Sri Lankan international to be named a cabinet minister and has held a slew of ministerial positions since, including his current job as petroleum minister.
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