SHANGHAI- China's four-time Winter Olympic gold medalist, Wang Meng, has been banned from training after being involved in a fight with the team manager, China's winter sports authority announced on Friday.

After a meeting with coaches and athletes of the national short track speed skating team on Friday, the Chinese Winter Sports Administrative Center said Wang and Liu Xianwei, a member of men's team, had been banned from training.

Four other athletes Vancouver Winter Olympic champion Zhou Yang and World Cup series champion Liu Qiuhong of the women's team and Han Jialiang and Liang Wenhao of the men's team have to hand in written self-criticism.

A fight broke out on Sunday night at the training camp in Qingdao after several members broke a 10 pm curfew that had been imposed after a previous incident in June in which team members clashed with police in Lijiang, Yunnan province. Team manager Wang Chunlu was said to have been hit by athletes and several other people involved with the squad.

Lan Li, vice-director of the administrative center, said six athletes violated the rules going back to the camp late and hitting the team manager.

"They also infringed on other athletes' rights to sleep," Lan said.

He also warned the team, which swept all four gold medals in the women's events at the Vancouver Winter Games, that it has a history of glory, which was built up by generations of athletes, to uphold. The team "should do a self-examination and learn lessons from the affair".

"The affair has damaged the image of China's sport," said Lan. "As the official who is in charge of the administration of the team, I have to take responsibility."

It is not the first time Wang has been banned from training as she was also kicked out of the squad in 2007 after a conflict with head coach Li Yan.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/30/2011 page16)