The coaching board of the gymnastics team was summoned to explain to the Department of Sports and Physical Training.

On January 18th, the entire national gymnastics team, including the coaching staff and athletes from both the men's and women's teams, were summoned by the Department of Physical Education and Sports to explain and clarify the allegations made by athlete Pham Nhu Phuong regarding "dark areas" in the national team's training facilities, as reported in Dan Tri newspaper.

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Department of Physical Education and Sports (36 Tran Phu, Hanoi ). In addition to the coaching staff and athletes of the national team, the meeting was also attended by representatives from the High-Performance Sports Department I, the Gymnastics Department, and the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi.

Gymnast Pham Nhu Phuong caused a surprise when she spoke out against the "dark side" of the national gymnastics team right after retiring (Photo: Manh Quan).

According to Dan Tri newspaper, Coach Truong Tuan H., in charge of the men's national team, and Ms. Nguyen TTT, in charge of the women's national team, have had to explain the information published by Dan Tri newspaper regarding the alleged falsification of Sunday work hours each month to receive overtime training allowances from the state budget, when in reality they did not train and shared the falsified funds.

In addition, the Department of Sports and Physical Education has requested the coaching staff and athletes to provide a detailed explanation regarding the national gymnastics team's establishment of two funds: the Central Fund and the Internal/External Fund, by collecting money from athletes and coaches through the aforementioned "Sunday work allowance."

The request form for training during the 3 days of the Lunar New Year in 2022 to receive benefits from the state budget was prepared by Mr. Truong Tuan H. on January 26, 2022. In reality, the entire national gymnastics team was still on holiday during this time (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

The Department of Sports and Physical Education also requested the Board of Directors of the National Sports Training Center to report on their responsibility in inspection and supervision in this case, as the act of falsely inflating Sunday work hours has been going on for many years.

Speaking with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper on the evening of January 18th, Mr. Dang Ha Viet, Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Education, said that the Department is still receiving explanatory reports from the relevant parties.

Because this is a complex case involving many people and organizations, all issues recorded in the meeting minutes still require thorough verification and no conclusions can be drawn until all the information is available.

Previously, on January 17th, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung instructed relevant units to thoroughly investigate and pursue any violations within the national gymnastics team to the end.

The Ministry has also issued a document requesting the Department of Physical Education and Sports to review the entire management and training process of national sports teams, following information that athlete Pham Nhu Phuong alleged she was cheated out of her medal prize money and other negative practices. In case of serious violations, the Ministry's Inspectorate will investigate to clarify the matter.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/ban-huan-luyen-tuyen-tddc-duoc-trieu-tap-de-giai-trinh-voi-cuc-tdtt-20240118180200545.htm