Recently, Chinese athlete Wang Li posted a video online, accusing Fan Jiwen, the director of the Songmao Sports Training Base in Yunnan, of demanding 150,000 RMB (Renminbi) in competition prize money from her. When she refused, Fan allegedly subjected her to long-term suppression, leading to severe depression. The video has sparked widespread attention on social media.
Public information online shows that Wang Li is a Chinese kayaking and dragon boat athlete. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she won three gold medals in the women’s dragon boat events as a member of the Chinese team, making her the first athlete from Yunnan to achieve three gold medals at the Asian Games.
In the video, Wang Li shared that after winning gold at the Asian Games and returning to the training base, Director Fan Jiwen demanded the 150,000 RMB prize money awarded by the country. When she did not comply, Fan disparaged her at a public meeting for being “ungrateful.” Subsequently, he retaliated against her by marginalizing her, prohibiting her from training, and reporting her for retirement without her knowledge. Fan even falsely claimed to the higher-ups that Wang Li was injured, effectively ending her career opportunities. As a result of the prolonged suppression, she developed severe depression and faced multiple breakdowns.
Wang Li mentioned that the team was filled with verbal abuse and physical punishment. Some team members suffered head injuries requiring stitches, while others were forced to kneel for not writing diaries. Photos of these incidents were even shared in parent groups.
Wang Li stated that Director Fan often told the athletes, “You must be grateful. Your livelihood is provided by me, your salary is issued by me, and your retirement arrangements are decided by me. I can give you everything, and I can also take everything back.”
In the video’s conclusion, Wang Li called for a thorough investigation into Fan Jiwen’s abuse of power, oppression of athletes, and extortion of money.
Disputes over the distribution of athlete rewards are not uncommon in China. For example, Chinese sports coach Wang Chengrong received a reward of 1.4991 million RMB from the authorities for leading two athletes to win three gold and one silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Wang’s unit, the Qinghai Tegong Team, repeatedly demanded that he hand over the prize money, but Wang refused and was subsequently suspended from his position.
Industry experts point out that fundamentally, this issue stems from the structure of the Chinese Communist Party. In countries like the United States and Canada, athletes enjoy the rewards of their individual efforts. In China, however, the values in sports have been distorted. Athletes are seen as pawns controlled by the state, accountable to leaders and units without individual rights.
Source: New Tang Dynasty.