Publisher : Ming Pao
Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
Image : Yu Shuran represented Singapore in an international figure skating event in Germany in 2017. (Getty Images)
Recently, athlete abuse scandals broke out in sports circles in various countries. In an interview published by the British "Guardian" on Tuesday (21 July), Yu Shuran, a retired Singaporean figure skating girl, accused of being abused during training in China for a long time. She was beaten by the coach holding the rubber cover of the skate blade. She even kicked her hard with skates, causing her calf to bleed and leaving permanent scars. Yu Shuran accused China of a widespread corporal punishment culture in the sports world. It is common for athletes to be accused of being lazy, stupid, mentally handicapped, useless and obese. Based on her own experience, she called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take more measures to protect vulnerable girls.
Singaporean player Yu Shuran recalled her childhood training
Yu Shuran turns 20 next month. Her mother is Chinese and her father is Singaporean. She was born, raised and trained in China, and then represented Singapore. In an interview with The Guardian, she revealed that she began to be abused when she was 11 years old, and she would stretch out her hand to be punished whenever she made a mistake. "In particularly bad days, I will be beaten more than 10 times in a row." She also recalled that when she entered puberty at the age of 14, she would be beaten and scolded when she did not do well in jumping because of "weight gain". She said: "I will be called over and (the coach) kicked my calf with the tip of the skate blade, and then try again (jumping). I can't walk around or cry." She pointed out that these abuses are often in front of others, happened in front of the skater.
Yu Shuran said, "I haven't told any friends, school adults or sports federations because I was incredibly humiliated. I was disparaged as insignificant," until recently I have seen sexual assault incidents in the American gymnastics industry. After learning about the widespread abuse in the British sports scene, she decided to make her experience public.
She revealed that when she was coaching at a training center in Beijing recently, she saw young Chinese athletes being abused. One skater was beaten and dragged out of the skating rink, and another athlete was still competing even with two ligaments broken. She still feels sad about the abuse, but pointed out that many athletes and coaches believe that these behaviors are necessary and are common in China.
Call on the International Olympic Committee to protect athletes
In the past, foreign athletes have criticized China's training methods beyond acceptable limits after visiting China, but it is extremely rare for athletes trained in China to make accusations. Yu Shuran pointed out that it is difficult for Chinese athletes to speak out because they may lose their positions and their careers may end. She expressed her determination to protect the next generation of young athletes and urged the IOC to set up a hotline composed of child protection experts to deal with abuse cases. She also urged the IOC to take advantage of the 18 months before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics to put appropriate pressure on it. IOC has stated that it is not suitable to comment on Chinese training methods.
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