At a martial arts club in Qingdao, Shandong, China, an 8-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his instructor after being beaten by him. On the child’s second day of lessons at the Chongde Juying Martial Arts Sports Club, on June 18, 2023, disaster struck. The club has just been operating since April, so it is still rather young.
The young man, whose name has not been made public, joined the sports team on June 17, 2023, the day before he passed away. His parents covered the entire cost of a year’s worth of martial arts instruction for him. During his training session, the child’s parents got a video that worried them. They learned about his passing later. After being transported to the hospital, the young patient was declared dead. Further testing revealed that his heart had stopped twenty minutes prior to their arrival.
The sports club has stopped operations, and police have detained three people, including two of the club’s owners. The third person is assumed to be the teacher.
Taiwan experienced a similar event in April 2021. This victim, a seven-year-old kid, also passed away as a result of wounds he sustained in martial arts class. He was repeatedly tossed to the ground by classmates who were told to do so, and eventually by the teacher. At Fengyuan Hospital, the boy was given life support. After 70 days, his parents made the heartbreaking choice to turn off life support.
Stronger controls in sporting clubs that host children are required in light of incidents like this. Employee background checks, child safety regulations during training, oversight committees to ensure all protocols are followed, and holding teachers responsible for their work with children are a few examples of possible safety measures. Such protocols and protections may stop disasters of this nature from happening again in the future.
