In an unusual move to secure a gymnastics golden harvest at next
year's Olympic Games, Chinese gymnasts and their coaches will sign
contracts with the sport's state governing center to ensure
everyone in the 2008 lineup will be injury free and drug free, a
top team official said.
"In the coming days, all the Chinese national coaches will sign
contracts with the gymnastics administrative center to prevent
serious injuries from happening before the Beijing Games. Also all
the gymnasts will sign with the center to prevent any doping
offenses," China's gymnastics team leader Zhang Peiwen said on the
sidelines of the 2007 Good Luck Beijing Gymnastics International
Invitational Tournament, which ended on Monday in the newly built
National Indoor Stadium.
"I don't know exactly when they will sign because we are still
working on the details of the contracts. But I think it will be
pretty soon."
In a high-risk sport where every athlete is trying to jump
higher and rotate faster in fractions of seconds, injuries are
almost inevitable. This is especially true since the FIG
(International Gymnastics Federation) enacted a new scoring system,
which encourages gymnasts to go for more difficult routines.
But for the Chinese gymnasts who have prevailed on the world
stage in recent years, it's no longer a matter of how difficult
their routines are - it's also a matter of how healthy they are
come next August.
"We don't want the injuries to pull our legs and destroy our
prospects for the Beijing Games," Zhang said. "I hope we can reduce
injuries to a minimum by signing these contracts."
Chinese officials fear any injury - particularly one to their
elite athletes - will put their efforts to waste, as they are
taking arguably the best Chinese team in history into the Beijing
Games. The Chinese already pocketed 13 gold medals in the last two
World Championships, including an eight-gold haul at the Aarhus
Worlds.
Fears of injury have grown considerably since China's top male
gymnast, Li Xiaopeng, a 14-time world and Olympic champion, has
struggled to recover from a bone fracture in his foot suffered
during training in March.
The 26-year-old's slow recovery has caused him to miss all of
the 2007 season, including the Good Luck invitational in which he
planned to compete. His long-term absence has raised concerns about
whether he will be ready to join the Chinese team in Beijing next
year.
"His recovery has been slow," confessed Zhang. "We took a
conservative healing approach to his injury, but his situation is
not stable."
Fortunately, China is abundant with gymnastics talent, and young
stars have already filled Li's giant shoes. Without Li, who is
considered the most successful Chinese gymnast together with Li
Ning, the Chinese team is still capable of dominating the
competition like it has in the last two Worlds, earning
back-to-back titles in men's team, men's individual all-around,
pommel horse and rings.
"This is our best Olympic preparation ever," Zhang said. "Apart
from Li, none of the team is troubled by injuries. They can put
their best efforts into the coming winter training camp."
To help prevent injuries, the center has also hired a back-up
team of psychologists and dozens of masseurs from around the
country. Elite gymnasts are also examined once a week at Peking
University Third Hospital, which is known for its sports
rehabilitation.
The contracts also suggest the team, which is already performing
some of the most difficult routines in the world, is trying to
reach a balance between its level difficulty and its level of
stability before next year's all-important show.
"We will mainly go for stability during the winter training,"
Zhang said. "I hope we can do it safely and smoothly."
Careless drug offenses are another major concern for the Chinese
camp, so gymnasts will sign contracts forbidding drug use as
well.
"I do not mean our gymnasts will take drugs intentionally, but I
am just afraid that they might take them by mistake, such as
unauthorized nutritious medicines," Zhang said.
"The purpose of signing the contract is to give all gymnasts a
warning and to avoid any accidents."
Although injury cast a shadow over Li Xiaopeng's Olympic
prospects, there was better news for Lu Bin, the 28-year-old
veteran who returned strongly from his Achilles tendon injury to
win four gold medals at the Good Luck invitational. The tournament
was the first competition since the injury for Lu, who was
sidelined for 14 months, but he performed as if he had never left,
finishing first in men's rings, vault, pommel horse and men's
team.
"That is a remarkable achievement," Zhang said, heaping praise
upon Lu. "Faced with serious injury, he did not give up. I just
love that spirit, and that will inspire the whole team to better
prepare for the Olympic Games."
Lu's comeback put him back into a heated race for an Olympic
ticket on the Chinese men's team.
"Lu's good form is a big stimulation for the team. Every gymnast
will feel the pressure and realize he will be eliminated if he
doesn't work hard enough," said Zhang.
Currently, the team named a preliminary 10-member squad. The
list will be shortened to six before the 2008 Games.
"The chance is 50-50 for everyone," Zhang said. "Even Lu knows
only next year's form counts."
(China Daily December 7, 2007)