Sexual abuse case spurs calls for reform in sports schools

Experts are calling for more transparency in school management and more legal protection for students in the wake of highly publicized allegations of sexual assaults at a renowned sports school.

The Hunan Provincial Gymnastics Sports School, once a cradle of Olympic champions, saw its reputation badly tarnished when its then-president, Liu Zhiqiang, and then-vice-president, Zeng Rong, were detained in November on allegations that they sexually assaulted female students. The case is under investigation, an officer with the Changsha Public Security Bureau said on Wednesday.

The scandal has exposed weaknesses in the opaque management of China's many sports schools. Experts say such schools created the foundation of China's State-run sports cultivation system with their boarding programs that separate students from their parents at a young age.