(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
A few hours ago news broke over the AP newswire that Wang Meng, the most decorated speedskater in China, had been kicked off the team following a drunken altercation with her coach. DailyHouse covered the story last week in which the athlete, who was voted ‘China’s Athlete of the Year’ ahead of tennis star Li Na, reportedly got drunk at a training camp and then got into a fight with her coach when she arrived after curfew.
In earlier coverage, one Chinese winter sports official was quoted as saying: “[a] thorough investigation is underway and some people would be punished severely” (emphasis added). It now appears that has happened. Wang, who has won 6 Olympic medals in short track speedskating will face severe punishment for the fight, which was described in the China Daily as an: “evil-doing affair”
From the AP:
Wang and teammate Liu Xianwei were expelled from Team China, disqualified from competing at international events and kicked down to a provincial-level squad.
It was not reported how long the suspension would last. Wang reportedly broke at least one hand in the fight with her coach, requiring surgery. This is the second incident the Chinese superstar has been involved in this year. The first occurred a month ago at another national team training camp. According to The Telegraph, the team got into a brawl with 30 security guards after a night of drinking. Meng reportedly yelled: “Do you not know who I am? I am a People’s Congress deputy and we are world champions!”
From the AP it is reported that Wang has written on her blog: “she would hold a press conference ‘to tell everybody the truth.’”
Methinks its time for Jersey Shore: Shanghai, hmmm?
