A Hong Kong athlete has revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a former coach, adding to the number of athletes who have spoken out about their experience of being sexually abused amid the #metoo movement.
The so-called “Queen of Hurdles,” Lui Lai-yiu is a member of Hong Kong’s track and field youth team and recently won Hong Kong’s first gold medal in the women’s 60-meter hurdles at the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkey. She was also a student at Pui Ching Middle School, where she won bronze for Hong Kong at the East Asian Games four years ago.
She said she was inspired to share her #metoo experience after reading about the experience of US Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, who alleged that a USA Gymnastics doctor repeatedly molested her, starting when she was 13 years old.
In a Facebook post published yesterday, she said she met her former coach — identified only as Y — about 10 years ago, and after one year noticed her performance was improving.
It was then that the coach asked if her muscles were tense and whether she needed a massage to relax them, which Liu said seemed perfectly normal from an athlete’s point of view. The pair then went to the coach’s home where he massaged her legs, asked her to take off her jeans and touched her private parts.
Lui still kept in touch with the coach, writing: “Humans, they are very contradictory animals. I have been with that coach all these years and he taught me for a long time whatever the outcome, so I will celebrate his birthday every year. Am I sick? How do I celebrate the birthday of a coach who sexually assaulted me every year? I do not know. Maybe I could fool myself and tell myself it never happened.”
Lui said she only told a friend about the incident two years ago, who encouraged her to share it. Lui said in the post that she also hopes that by sharing her experience she will encourage others to stand up to sexual assault, and to raise awareness about the sexual abuse of children.
“In the Hong Kong sporting world, I have never heard of any cases of sexual assault or indecent assault, but I believe these kinds of incidents exist. Unfortunately, I have had similar experiences, and I hope you can find the courage to seek help from those around. In Chinese culture, sexual issues have always been considered embarrassing, shameful, or are never openly discussed.
“I am not broken. It was not my fault. I am growing strong. I refuse silence.”
Lui, who celebrated her 23rd birthday yesterday, said: “It is a relief to tell the truth. It is to change myself from victim to survivor. This is my birthday present for myself.”
According to the SCMP, police are currently investigating the claims.
A statement published on Pui Ching Middle School’s website said Lui contacted them about the incident three weeks ago, that they were deeply saddened by the news, and that the relevant coach has since been suspended.
This comes days after the chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission Alfred C.M. Chan called on conservative Hongkongers to join the #MeToo movement. In an article for the SCMP, Chan said that surveys conducted by the EOC shows sexual harassment is a “deeply rooted problem”, and that the commission have received over 100 sexual harassment complaints last year.
Last month, district councillor Clarisse Yeung opened up about her #metoo experience and explained that in Chinese culture, talking about sexual harassment can bring shame on an individual.
The #metoo movement has seen countless women have shared their experiences of sexual harassment and assault online along with the hashtag.
It began in the wake of a recent New York Times exposé in October detailing dozens of sexual harassment and assault complaints made against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who used his power to bully aspiring actresses into sexual favors.
In the weeks since, numerous high-profile cases have emerged, with accusations ranging from groping to rape leveled against prominent men.
