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18-11-2005 Scotsman The hidden cost of China's hunger for Olympic gold By Gethin Chamberlain Chief News Correspondent CHINA'S determination to breed a generation of gold medal winners for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was last night under intense scrutiny after a leading British Olympic medallist professed that he was shocked and disturbed by the training methods he witnessed there. Sir Matthew Pinsent, the four-time rowing gold medallist, claimed that gymnasts as young as five were routinely beaten as part of their training regime. He made the allegations after visiting the Shichahai Sports School, a boarding school in Beijing that trains gymnasts. Others who have visited the school in recent months have also remarked on the harsh regime and the director, Liu Hong Bin, has talked of the need for "discipline and order" among his young charges. Sir Matthew, who is a member of the British Olympic Association and a former member of the International Olympic Association, said: "I've been thinking about it a lot. I was wondering whether it's a kind of Western approach, compared to an Eastern approach. [But] at the end of the day, I definitely think those kids were being abused. "It was a pretty disturbing experience. It is gymnastics, and that sport in particular has to start their athletes young, and China is pretty unremitting in its drive to win the gold medal tally in Beijing, but I was really shocked by what went on." In a report for the BBC he described how during a visit to the school he found one boy in the gym with red marks across his back after apparently being beaten by his coach. His translator spoke to one of the gymnasts and reported: "The boy told me if they made a serious mistake, the coach beat them. They take it as a normal thing. The boy said they don't hate the coach - they think that's a good thing, that the coach cares about you. They like you, so they train you strictly." Officials at the school said that they did not necessarily approve of beating children to improve performance, but that sometimes it was necessary. Reports from those who have studied the school's methods appear to confirm Sir Matthew's fears. Pupils are woken at 6am and exercise for an hour before breakfast. They study for four hours, take a 35-minute lunch, sleep for 70 minutes and then train for another three-and-a-half hours. Pictures of children training show them dressed only in underpants while taking part in gruelling exercises. According to a report in Time magazine, they spend hours stretching and training to become strong and flexible. The same report quoted gymnastics coach Wang Jujian insisting that students had "to struggle before they can enjoy fame". And Wang Yian, a school official, was quoted as saying: "This is the breeding ground of our Olympic heroes. They make us proud of being Chinese." Last year a Taekwondo student, Zong Shaojuan, told the China Daily newspaper how she had become used to injuries and weight loss as part of her strict training regime. She described how she started losing weight 40 days before a match, reducing her food and water intake until she would only allow herself a bottle-lid of water. China has more than 4,000 sports schools training up potential medal winners for the Beijing Games. Those who fail to make the grade are returned to ordinary schools. China has targeted a total of 50 gold medals at the 2008 games, 30 more than its target for the Athens Games. The reputation of the Olympic movement has already been tarnished by the row over the routine use of drugs by East European competitors during the communist era. A group of 190 people is currently involved in a court case against the German National Olympic Committee in which they are claming compensation for being given huge doses of steroids when they were training. State-sponsored doping is credited with garnering the East Germans a huge haul of medals at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Games. Other countries behind the Iron Curtain were even harsher in the treatment of their stars. The mother of Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who scored the first perfect ten on the asymmetric bars at the 1976 Olympics, alleged that her daughter was tortured by the son of the country's president, Nicolae Ceaucescu. Yesterday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed concern about the reports of mistreatment of young gymnasts. Giselle Davies, of the IOC, said: "Physical abuse in sport goes against all Olympic values." But the IOC refused to condemn China and Ms Davies said it was important that people did not jump to conclusions. Ms Davies said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on Matthew Pinsent's remarks, which the IOC has only heard third-hand, and understands are more a personal interpretation. "However, only last week, a group of journalists were in Beijing visiting the national training centre, where they had free access to athletes, including gymnasts, and were very impressed with the people they met and the training they saw." The British Olympic Association also distances itself from Sir Matthew's report and refused to discuss the Chinese methods. A spokesman said: "The British Olympic Association is not in a position to comment on the practices of other Olympic associations." But Sir Matthew said he believed children were being pushed beyond acceptable limits and said he was disappointed that it appeared to be regarded as necessary. He added: "The vice-principals said hitting was against the law, but then there were parents who want you to do it. They said this is what they needed to do to make them hard." The choice of Beijing to host the Games has been condemned by some because of the country's poor human rights record. Phillip Silacci, from the International Gymnastics Federation, said that they would talk to the Chinese about the allegations at the upcoming world gymnastic championships in Melbourne. He said: "We take this case very seriously."
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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