Athlete Pham Nhu Phuong accuses coach of inflating salary: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirms two pieces of information.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong confirmed that the Vietnamese gymnastics team trains on Sundays and holidays and charges athletes extra fees.

Today, January 18th, Mr. Hoang Dao Cuong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, provided some information to the press regarding the case of athlete Pham Nhu Phuong accusing the national gymnastics team's coaches of falsifying training allowances. According to Pham Nhu Phuong, the coaches and athletes of the national gymnastics team received fictitious training allowances during the training camp. Even though they did not train on Sundays, the gymnastics team members still shared the "overtime" training allowance, despite the team not actually training.

Pham Nhu Phuong accuses the national gymnastics team coach of extorting money. (Photo: Hoang Tu)

Overtime training pay is 540,000 VND/day, with athletes receiving half and the remainder divided among various funds and used for other expenses. According to initial explanations, this money was used for internal and external affairs, purchasing additional medical supplies, and training equipment.

Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong assessed: " This is a complex matter involving many departments, so it requires a verification and re-examination process. However, there is some information that can be provided. Firstly, the national gymnastics team organizes extra training on Sundays and holidays when carrying out important international missions."

Secondly, the gymnastics team—both coaches and athletes—has an organized system for collecting funds for general activities, and the head coach is the one collecting the money.

Therefore, there are some tasks that need to be done immediately. The Hanoi National Training Center needs to review the attendance records of the national teams and the extra training days; the coaching staff needs to report on the training plans and curricula for these extra training days, the number of athletes participating in training and those resting; and the coaching staff needs to report and explain the revenue as reflected in the press .

Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong emphasized that these matters must be clarified. Based on specific data, this must be done immediately, but still requires time for verification. After completion, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will send information to the press, in the spirit of ensuring the most transparent and clear information, including strict handling and penalties. The penalties will be based on regulations. At 9 am this morning, the Department of Sports and Physical Education held a meeting to hear explanations from relevant departments and units. Attending this meeting were leaders of the National Sports Training Center I, the High-Performance Sports Department I, the Planning and Finance Department, the Accounting Department, and the Training Management Department of the National Sports Training Center, as well as the coaching staff of the gymnastics team. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the Department of Sports and Physical Education to invite Pham Nhu Phuong for a meeting to assess her aspirations and professional situation.

Van Hai

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