Ex-gymnast Sang Lan to sue Goodwill Games for injury
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Former gymnast Sang Lan revealed in her blog yesterday that the accident that put her in a wheelchair for life 12 years ago was not merely a freak accident and that she is suing those she thinks are responsible.
Sang broke her neck in the warm-up for the women's vault competition at the New York Goodwill Games in July 1998. She was paralyzed from the mid-chest down.
Sang wrote that she had distorted her action in the air because she saw a coach pulling away a mat.
"The disturbance made me hesitate in doing the action in the air, which led to the tragedy," she wrote, blaming the sponsor's mismanagement and disorder at the gym as the "main causes."
Sang is now pursuing a lawsuit against the Goodwill Games. She said many factors had prevented her from seeking justice 12 years ago, including the possibility that witnesses would be ordered by their employers to refrain from speaking about the incident.
"Now my coach and several relevant personnel have retired, and they have nothing to do with their working units now," Sang wrote. "So if I take legal measures toward those who were responsible, the witnesses will not be ordered to say nothing about the accident."
While her optimism and strong willpower have won many people's admiration and respect, Sang hinted in her blog post that the Chinese gymnastics team showed little concern for her after her injury.
"I lived in Beijing for 12 years, and the Chinese gymnastics team never invited me to attend their Spring Festival evening party," Sang wrote, saying her only invitation came "several years ago" at the behest of Wang Jun, deputy director of the General Administration of Sports of China.
"Leaders of the Chinese gymnastics team begged CCTV to ‘please stop reporting on Sang Lan or nobody will come to practice gymnastics,'" Sang added.
Her manager, Huang Jian, confirmed by phone that Sang has been collecting materials concerning the accident and is preparing a transnational lawsuit.
