Rumors swirl as Olympic star punished

Sun Yang, the first male swimmer to win an Olympic gold for China, has been issued with punitive measures for disciplinary violations, widely speculated as being related to his romantic life and frequent attendance at commercial activities, highlighting the conflicts between the new generation of athletes and the rigid State-run sports system.

Li Jianshe, president of the Zhejiang College of Sports which Sun is affiliated with, said the punishment issued late on Monday includes handing over a reprimand letter, the deduction of a month's training allowance and a ban on all commercial activities.

The decision came after the recent exposure of the rising sport star's air stewardess girlfriend, frequent attendance at commercial activities, some 40 days of absence from daily training and tensions between Sun and his coach, Zhu Zhigen, over disputes on the intensity of training and management.

During these tensions, Zhu, who has been working with Sun for some 10 years, was said to have taken ill over Sun's demands for a new coach, reported China Central Television (CCTV).

"There are only excellent athletes, no special ones," said Li, who did not respond to calls from the Global Times as of press time. Sun could not be contacted either.

The Chongqing Economic Times quoted Zhang Yadong, former chief coach of the national swimming team, as saying that it would be absolutely impossible to replace the coach, despite the tensions. "Sun should be grateful," Zhang added.

Sun's relations with the trainer may not be as fragile as are being reported. After being crowned the Best Male Athlete during the 2012 CCTV Sports Personality ceremony for the second year on January 19, Sun said on his Sina Weibo that although Zhu was not rewarded, he has always been the No.1 in his heart.

It is still unclear what triggered the punishment, but some speculate that his newly exposed girlfriend and his quickly commercialized image led to the measures being taken.

"The biggest value of an athlete is winning honor for the homeland," Li added, alluding to China's State-run competitive sports system, which puts all its resources into training gold medalists for international competitions.

"Earning the honor, of course, is part of the reason why they are in competition, but not all of it," Xiao Huanyu, dean of the School of Sports and Humanities at the Shanghai University of Sport, told the Global Times, adding that they are seen more as ambassadors for sport culture and role models for young people.

Zhang said Olympic winners cannot behave as they like. "They have to bear in mind that it is the system that made them win and there are many people providing them with services."

Sports authorities in the country have taken a "don't encourage, don't support" approach to athletes engaging in romantic relationships.

"The expression of emotion by athletes needs to be respected, but athletes still have to be responsible for their public image, as carelessness can have a negative impact on the young generation," Xiao said.

"The sport system in China is now in the process of going from an enclosed environment into a commercialized context, in which many athletes become stars without any preparation, nor are they able to handle emergencies, should they happen," said Ren Hai, director of the Olympic Research Center from the Beijing Sport University.

"The current system should be more open with less administrative and political intervention than it has now," Ren told the Global Times.