Russian cellist sacked for abusing woman

Beijing Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday announced it had sacked Oleg Vedernikov, the Russian cellist who was this month filmed verbally abusing a woman on a Chinese high-speed train.

The musician had damaged the reputation of the company so the decision was made to terminate his contract in line with orchestra regulations, read a statement on its website.

Tan Lihua, head of the orchestra, said in the statement that musicians, including foreign performers, should observe the laws and moral standards of the nation and the regulations of the orchestra. They should behave with courtesy, keep the "artist style" and maintain the orchestra's honor and fame, he said.

He said the orchestra will strive to ensure such incidents do not happen again.

In footage posted online, Vedernikov was seen getting involved in an argument with a woman on a train heading from Shenyang, Liaoning province, to Beijing.

The four-minute video shows the Russian with his feet on the back of the chair in front of him touching the head of the woman sitting in front and ignoring the woman's request to put his feet down, responding with a string of Chinese curse words.

The video was posted on Sina Weibo, the popular micro-blogging website, on May 15 and sparked outrage among Web users.

Vedernikov apologized to the public through a video clip on May 17, the same day the orchestra announced he had been suspended pending an investigation.