7-year-old 'brain dead' after swimming lesson
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E-mail China Daily, July 30, 2013
The club was still open for business on Monday.
Yi Shenghua, a Beijing-based lawyer, said the coach and the club both have criminal liability.
He said if the girl dies, the coach could be charged with manslaughter through negligence or indirect intentional homicide, depending on the details of the case. If convicted, the coach may face more than 10 years in jail.
"Many coaches use very strict training methods, and may cause the deaths of their students. Kids don't know how to swim and it is dangerous to force them into the pool," he said, adding that the club is also liable for compensation.
Some senior coaches questioned the current standards used for issuing certificates to swimming coaches.
According to one senior swimming coach from Chongqing: "The only requirement for hiring swimming coaches in many clubs is the swimming coach certificate. However, it is far too easy to gain the certificate nowadays." The coach, who has 40 years of experience declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals from local sports clubs.
"A person who knows how to swim, gets trained for three to five days and pays some money can easily get the certificate," he said, adding that the coaching certificate is provided by the local swimming association.
"Many coaches don't know how to teach," he said, adding it is the responsibility of coaches to watch the students, understand the children's reaction to the water and help them get used to the pool.
"It is so unprofessional to let a child drown," he said.
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