Singapore (AFP)
Singapore's National Sports Agency said on Friday it was "appalled" to learn that a figure skater claimed to have suffered physical and psychological violence during her training in China, after the denunciations of Jessica Shuran Yu.
Yu, who was born and trained in China but competed internationally for Singapore before quitting her career, claimed on Instagram on Thursday that her trainer was hitting her using a plastic skate blade cover.
"I was eleven when the physical violence started," said Yu, explaining that she was beaten several times "until (her) skin was raw" and also referred to "kicking the shins" with the skates. .
The 19-year-old, who competed at the 2017 world championships, said the physical violence "subsided" when she started competing at the senior level but the verbal and psychological abuse were on their toes. constant.
Sport Singapore said it was "appalled to learn of Jessica's distress during her sporting stay abroad" and expressed support for her alongside representatives of the Singapore Ice Skating Association.
Of Chinese mother and Singaporean father, Yu has a title of champion at the Southeast Asian Games in 2018 and two national titles in Singapore in 2015 and 2017.
His allegations are the latest to rock the sports world. Former Australian gymnasts recently released accounts of physical and mental abuse, while the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned in a report of the “endemic” abuse of Japanese coaches on young athletes.
© 2020 AFP