Gymnastics school in sex abuse claims

Closed-door training centers for young athletes have come under scrutiny following allegations that trainers at a prestigious gymnastics school in central China sexually abused students.

Critics of the centers say the closed regimes leave students vulnerable to sexual assault.

This comes after it emerged that Liu Zhiqiang, former principal of Hunan Gymnastics School, in provincial capital Changsha, and his deputy, Zeng Rong, were arrested in December over sexual abuse claims.

Accusations have been made that Liu abused at least six girls from 2012.

Founded in 1985, Hunan Gymnastics School has been dubbed a “cradle for gold medalists” by local media.

The school has produced 15 world champions and six Olympic winners, including Liu Xuan, the 2000 Olympic gold medallist in the balance beam, and Li Xiaopeng, who won four golds in the 2000 and 2008 Olympics.

Some 50 children aged between 8 and 12 are said to attend the center.

Local prosecutors told the Legal Evening News that police are currently investigating allegations against Liu Zhiqiang and Rong. Details only emerged yesterday.

“The area is renowned for its gymnastics achievements, and the authorities demanded this should be top secret,” an anonymous insider told the Oriental Morning Post

Police declined to give details on the cases.

Lawyer Du Xiaoqiu said closed-door training regimes can create an environment where victims of abuse feel they have no one to turn to.

Students usually live at the school during the week and those from further afield may only return home every few months, said a local insider.

This means they can’t tell their parents immediately if anything happens, he said.

Du added that trainers cannot avoid physical contact with students in their work, and this could sometimes be misinterpreted as abuse.

The 48-year-old Liu Zhiqiang is alleged to have touched girls aged under 10 in an inappropriate manner during training and in his office.

Accusations against 52-year-old Zeng are also being investigated.

Nearly 100 female journalists in China last November launched a program aiming to protect girls from sexual assault.