SPORTS> China
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SPORTS> China
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Fomer diving head coach steps up catfight with her rival
By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-29 09:31 Tug of war Yu and Zhou have been engaged in a verbal tug-of-war for years.
Yu is one of China's most influential diving coaches, having trained four-time Olympic champion Fu and reigning world and Olympic champion Guo. But Yu left the national team after the 1996 Atlanta Games after clashing with Zhou. Since then, Yu has frequently criticized the national team's "out-of-date training system." The latest dispute occurred just prior to the Aug 8-24 Beijing Games as Yu applied to return to the national team but was denied. She responded by claiming she was heading overseas to coach a rival team but later denied she had said this and publicly bemoaned her "unfair" treatment at the hands of the national diving authorities. "I believe I am still one of the best diving coaches (in China). How come I cannot contribute to the national team for the preparations of the Beijing Olympic Games? I will not give up. I will keep doing my job in Tsinghua University and I believe one day I will be back on the national team," she told China Daily at the time. Despite her experience and prestige, Yu is also known as a maverick who openly criticizes China's state-supported sports system for not providing young divers with a proper education. She once threatened to take her university divers abroad because they were not allowed to take part in any major tournaments. She also planned to sue the national swimming administration center for not supporting her in trying to win back her divers, who moved to other teams in order to pursue their goals. Budding stars He Zi, Lin Yue, Zhou Luxin, Wang Xin and Yang Liguang were all forced to leave the Tsinghua team in order to pursue their international careers and, in the cases of Lin and Zhou, become eligible to compete at the Beijing Games. |
