Eyewitness emerges in gymnast's sexual harassment case
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An eyewitness has emerged to support allegations by former Chinese gymnast Sang Lan that she was the victim of inappropriate sexual conduct while living with her appointed guardians just after she suffered a paralyzing injury during practice at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
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| Sang Lan [Xinhua]? |
Lu Ping claims he witnessed the son of Sang's former guardians, Liu Guosheng and Xie Xiaohong, sexually harassing Sang when he went to their home to treat Xie's arm pain in 1998. His testimony has been sent to prosecutors in New York, but it remains unknown whether it can be admitted as evidence in the case.
Sang's allegations came days after she filed a $1.8 billion lawsuit in a New York federal court against Ted Turner, who founded the Goodwill Games, Time Warner, which owned them and USA Gymnastics, their sponsor, as well as her appointed guardians. She claims that the organizations failed to fulfill promises of providing adequate medical insurance to obtain necessary treatments, which caused her condition to deteriorate.
Sang, then 17, broke her neck during a routine vault during warm-ups, crashing headfirst onto a mat. She was paralyzed from the chest down, ending her career as a world-class gymnast. She has since blamed her fall on someone who moved a mat, which she says distracted her in mid-air.
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Sang Lan?suffered a paralyzing injury during practice at the 1998 Goodwill Games.?[Yangtse Evening Post] |
