China News Service, February 2. On the 2nd, Yu Lihua, the coach of Yang Qian, the first gold medal winner of the Chinese delegation at the Tokyo Olympics, posted on social media that to this day, he still has not been able to get the bonus he deserved after the Tokyo Olympics. Relevant leaders of the Ningbo Municipal Sports Bureau and Ningbo Sports School withheld the bonus.
On the evening of the 2nd, Ningbo Sports School issued a statement saying that the school was concerned about the news that "Yang Qian coach Yu Lihua asked for bonuses" and other information, and the information released was inconsistent with the facts.
The picture shows Yang Qian (right) and enlightenment coach Yu Lihua.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Yang Qian won the women's 10-meter air rifle shooting event, which was also the first gold medal produced in the Olympic Games.
Yu Lihua stated in the long article that as the coach of Tokyo Olympic champion Yang Qian, he has still not been able to receive the bonus issued by the city government after the Tokyo Olympics. According to Yu Lihua, his bonus was seized by the relevant leaders of the Ningbo Municipal Sports Bureau and Ningbo Sports School.
"I have not received any money so far, and I am the only coach among the award-winning coaches at the Tokyo Olympics who has not received an Olympic bonus." Yu Lihua wrote.
In the statement, Yu Lihua mentioned that for more than half a year, he had been trying to protect his rights and interests by following normal procedures, but the incident failed to be resolved.
After the incident spread on social media, it sparked heated discussions among netizens. As of the time of publication, the number of views of the Weibo topic entry # Olympic champion Yang Qian’s coach asking for salary has exceeded 170 million.
According to public information, Yu Lihua is a national shooting coach and an outstanding young expert in Ningbo. He became a torchbearer for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The students led by Yu Lihua have won more than 100 championships in various competitions at the national level and above, and have trained famous shooting stars such as Yang Qian, Jiang Haojun, and Wang Chengyi.
Image source: Ningbo Sports School official account
On the evening of the 2nd, Ningbo Sports School issued a statement saying that the school was concerned about the news that "Yang Qian coach Yu Lihua asked for bonuses" and other information, and the information released was inconsistent with the facts.
The statement stated that in August 2023, the school launched the reward distribution process for athletes and coaches who achieved outstanding results in the Tokyo Olympics. According to relevant provincial and municipal regulations, the bonus is used to reward the coaching team after collective research by the school leadership team. As Yang Qian’s enlightenment coach, coach Yu Lihua will reward him personally with 60% of the total bonus of the coaching team.
According to Ningbo Sports School, Yu Lihua requires that he personally receive 100% of the bonus. "The requirements were inconsistent with the policy, and the two parties had disagreements. Our school contacted coach Yu Lihua many times and informed him of the relevant procedures for award collection. On December 4, 2023, our school leaders went to coach Yu Lihua's home to discuss the issue of Olympic awards again. Detailed explanation. On February 1, 2024, the school informed him in writing." The statement read.
At the end of the statement, Ningbo Sports School stated that the information released by coach Yu Lihua was inconsistent with the facts. If it has a negative impact on the school, the school will reserve the right to pursue legal responsibility. (over)