Sichuan athletes moved
Sichuan sports authorities have relocated more than 300 of the region's elite athletes to other parts of the mainland to concentrate on training away from the unpredictable waves of aftershocks following the devastating earthquake of May 12, officials confirmed.
Tournaments scheduled for June in the battered southwestern province have also been either postponed or relocated.
'It's impossible to get the job done here in the midst of such mayhem,' said a spokeswoman at Sichuan Provincial Sports Administration. 'All our provincial teams have been settled in places outside the area and they have resumed normal training.'
Though it has been more than two weeks since the quake rattled Sichuan, killing more than 65,000, powerful aftershocks remain a threat to survivors. On Tuesday, two aftershocks, both above magnitude 5, jolted two counties on the province's northern border with Gansu in the span of 30 minutes, following a magnitude 6.4 aftershock in the region on Sunday.
Xie Xing, a pole vaulter, said athletes have had to sleep outdoors all night and stay alert, which was seriously disrupting their training.
'No one was able to stick to the normal regime,' said Xie, who is now training in Beijing with the Sichuan track and field team.
Younger sportsmen and women in special sports schools have been given indefinite leave.
