SINGAPORE: Governing body Sport Singapore's (SportSG) Safe Sport Taskforce and the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA) say they will support former national skater Jessica Yu Shuran, following an article in which the 19-year-old spoke of physical and verbal abuse that she allegedly suffered while training in China.
“Sport Singapore (SportSG) and Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA) are dismayed to learn of Jessica’s plight in her sporting journey overseas," said a SportsSG spokesperson on Friday (Jul 24) in response to CNA's queries.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"The wellbeing of all athletes is paramount to the legitimacy of sport. Jessica has reached out to SISA’s Safeguarding Officer and the Safe Sport Taskforce, and we are supporting her as necessary."
In the article earlier this week in the British daily The Guardian, Yu described the "abuse" she and others went through in China, details she repeated in an Instagram post a day later.
"My coach would hit me using a (skate blade) guard ... Sometimes, he would strike at my legs or arms without warning.
"On especially bad days, I would get hit more than ten times in a row, until my skin was raw."
AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the Guardian article, Yu also described being kicked with the toe-pick of a skate that bloodied her shin and left a lasting scar. The physical abuse started when she was 11, added Yu.
Yu, who won a gold medal for Singapore at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, also said that a “culture of physical discipline” was common in China and that athletes were frequently criticised as “lazy”, “stupid”, “retarded”, “useless” and “fat”.
"Our National Sports Associations (NSAs) do keep our overseas-based athletes informed and updated on the support channels in place for them. Overseas-based athletes can reach out to the safe guarding officers in their NSAs should they require advice and support," said the SportSG spokesperson.
"TOXICITY" IN AESTHETIC SPORTS
Having retired from the sport in 2018, Yu, who was born and raised in China, said that she decided to speak out after watching Athlete A, a Netflix documentary detailing sexual abuse in American gymnastics, and reading claims of widespread abuse in British Gymnastics.
"Safe sport policies and measures continue to be enhanced for sport in Singapore. To date, nearly 100 safeguarding officers have been trained and a number of safe sport engagements for the sporting community on how we may collectively safeguard sport have been staged," said the SportSG spokesperson.
"All efforts are taken to ensure everyone in the fraternity – athletes, coaches and officials, understand how crucial safe sport is and are aware of the due reporting process for athletes to either a Safeguarding Officer or directly to the Safe Sport Taskforce. These efforts must continue unabated."
In the Instagram post, Yu called the abuse of athletes a "toxicity" that plagues aesthetic sports like gymnastics and figure skating.
"It breaks my heart to see how widespread abuse is. Just because something is normalised doesn't mean that it is okay," she said. "In fact, the normalisation of something so damaging is what makes it all the more dangerous. Today I know that i didn't deserve it. No one deserves abuse, ever."
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