Sexual abuse scandal will further hurt China's gymnastic population

Last week, the Chinese sports world was rocked by news of an alleged sexual abuse scandal at a gymnastics training school in Changsha, Hunan province.

Liu Zhiqiang, the principal, and Zeng Rong, the deputy principal of Hunan Provincial Gymnastics School were arrested for the alleged sexual assault of six trainee gymnasts under the age of 12.

While the men were -arrested four months ago, the news only just leaked out, as it was being hushed up on purpose. Even now, media in Hunan have failed to report the story, despite reporters from other provinces attempting to contact the school and the local sports bureau. Most of the requests were denied.

To some extent, I understand the hesitation on the part of the local officials. Gymnastics has a privileged position in Hunan, and the province has produced many of China's champion gymnasts, including Li Xiaopeng and Liu Xuan, both legendary Olympic victors. The scandal will surely bring a huge negative impact on the sport in the province.

However, it is not media reports or the spread of the scandal that has sullied its reputation. It is the behavior of the two men in positions of power that has humiliated the prestige of Hunan gymnastics.

In China, the road to becoming a successful professional athlete is not easy. The coaches and school leaders have absolute rights in training or selecting talented athletes, and therefore are in a powerful position. The athletes are fearful of challenging their authority, even when they encounter unfairness or wrong behavior.

Furthermore, anyone who hopes to be a champion gymnast needs to start training at the age of 5 or 6, when they leave their families and live in school dormitories. In gymnastic training, physical touch is necessary, so it becomes more difficult for these young kids to say "no" to their leaders.

Since Ma Yanhong won -China's first gymnastic gold medal in 1979, 65 Chinese gymnasts have become world champions. Despite this, the -total pool of gymnasts is relatively small.

According to Lu Shanzhen, former head coach of the national women's team, there are fewer than 3,000 registered gymnasts in China, but there are 3,000 gymnastic clubs in the US. In China, the training is too arduous, and the sporting environment is too competitive.

For sure this scandal will further threaten Hunan and even China's gymnastic population. For a long time to come, Chinese parents will think twice before sending their children to be trained as gymnasts.