Abusive coaches must be banned from Games, says ex-skater Yu Shuran
Former Singapore figure skater Yu Shuran has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to do more to stop the culture of abuse in sport, and to ban abusive coaches from the Olympic Games.
Yu, who was born and raised in China, last month went public with the abuse she and others had suffered while training in that country.
Athletes in Britain, New Zealand and France have also complained about abuse and Yu said the IOC needs to step in and help protect vulnerable athletes.
"The IOC needs to do more, especially when it is the one profiting the most from what athletes around the world endure," Yu, who won gold in the 2017 South-east Asia Games, told the South China Morning Post.
"Not every athlete who's abused is an Olympian. However, we've all dreamed of going to the Olympics - it's what we falsely believed we needed to endure the abuse for.
BROKEN SYSTEM
"The IOC has the power to make a change in this broken system. If they cared about us athletes as people and not just the profit, they would adopt a strict no-tolerance mindset towards abuse.
"The idea that they could lose the chance to attend a Games would be motivation to stop using abusive practices."
Yu, 20, said Singapore, the country she competed for internationally, was committed to bringing about real change, but questioned whether China would do the same.
"A lot of different things would have to happen in order to bring about effective change within China," she said. - REUTERS
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