One of China's brightest young sports stars has been disciplined by officials within the national sports system. Two time Olympic Champion and world record-holder in the 1,500m freestyle, Sun Yang, has received punishment after reports of tensions with his coach Zhu Zhigen.
The rising swimming star, Sun Yang, was punished on Monday, after a dust-up with his coach and the belief of top officials that he had lost focus on his training.
Sun Yang has been ordered to have deep and profound reflections on his wrongdoings and stop all involvement with his sponsors for an undisclosed period of time. He has also been docked one month of his training allowance.
Earlier this year, Sun and his coach, Zhu Zhigen, had a disagreement over the amount of time the swimming star was spending with his girlfriend which the coach felt was a distraction.
Sun Yang acknowledged at the end of January that he has a girlfriend and she is a flight attendant. They started dating before the London Olympics.
His coach thinks Sun Yang's relationship with his girlfriend has affected Sun's regular training.
The coach was also concerned about the amount of time Sun needed to carry out his new-found sponsorship deals.
In the wake of their disagreements, Sun reportedly asked for a coaching change, which was denied by Chinese Sport Officials.
Leaders at the academy where Sun trains in Zhejiang have ordered him to reflect on his actions.
"Zhejiang only has excellent athletes, no special athletes. Although Sun Yang has realized his faults, everyone is equal before the regulations, no matter who they are. Young athletes can make mistakes, but they can't repeat the same mistake. "
Sun Yang's coach Zhu Zhigen has trained Sun for 10 years.
Sun Yang once wrote on his microblog that "My coach makes me go beyond myself, from national champion to Olympic champion. All these achievements would be impossible without my coach Zhu Zhigen."
Leaders of the academy hope that the punishment will make Sun Yang realize his fault and get him back to regular training as soon as possible.
"My coach makes me go beyond myself, from national champion to Olympic champion. All these achievements would be impossible without my coach Zhu Zhigen."
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