China's highly successful
former Olympic diving coach Yu Fen is threatening to take her divers abroad if
they continue to be excluded from the national team, local media reported on
Wednesday.
Yu Fen.[File
Photo] |
Yu coached Fu Mingxia, a four-times gold
medallist at three Olympics, and Guo Jingjing, a double Olympic gold medallist,
before leaving the national team after the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The divers she now trains at schools attached to Beijing's prestigious
Tsinghua University, however, are not allowed to take part in any major
tournaments or Olympic trials because they are not part of the state sports
structure.
"If we cannot find any outlet for our divers in the next couple of years, I
will have to take them abroad to train and compete," Yu told Chinese Business
View.
"I have no other option."
Yu insists her divers keep up with their studies despite sports ministry
regulations excluding non-specialists from the national team.
"My bottom line is 'they can't stop school' but the current national coach
Zhou Jihong says they must leave school and train with the national team," she
said.
Yu said she wanted to supplement the national system, not compete with it.
"Between Zhou and me there is the difference in concept," Yu added. "To solve
the problem, we just need a change of policy.
"Everything is focused on the 2008 Beijing Olympics and I want to make a
contribution."
As a result of the conflict, some of Yu's students have left her team.
Lao Lishi joined the national team soon after her departure and won a
synchronized gold and a singles silver in the 10m platform event at the 2004
Athens Olympics.
