Hong Kong hurdler Vera Lui’s claim that a coach sexually assaulted her when she was 13 sparks outcry, police probe

Athlete makes #MeToo post on Facebook, following footsteps of other public figures who have come forward, including US gymnast McKayla Maroney

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Vera Lui is a member of Hong Kong’s track and field youth team. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:45am, 30 Nov 2017Updated: 11:35pm, 30 Nov 2017

Hong Kong hurdling champion Vera Lui Lai-yiu became the highest-profile local figure to join the global “Me Too” movement after claiming she was sexually assaulted by a coach 10 years ago.

Soon after midnight on her 23rd birthday, the athlete published a post on her Facebook page describing the incident, along with a photo of her holding a card on which “#MeToo” was written, with her initials “LLY” below, in support of a growing hashtag campaign against sexual harassment.

‘Speaking up is my birthday present to myself,’ Hong Kong hurdler says of sex abuse revelation

The movement was started by activist Tarana Burke more than 10 years ago and became an online rallying cry last month following a series of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Lui’s revelation of her personal sufferings prompted Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to ask police to follow up the case as key sports groups in the city condemned the suspect. Members of the sports community offered messages of support, while others on social media predicted that Lui’s move would galvanise more victims of sexual assault in the city to speak up.

The coach, whom Lui did not name, has been suspended from work by two of his employers: Watson’s Athletic Club, a member of the conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, and the hurdler’s alma mater, Pui Ching Middle School, where he trained her 10 years ago.

Lui, dubbed the “queen of hurdles”, is a member of Hong Kong’s track and field youth team. In September, she won the city’s first gold medal in the Asian Indoor Games with a record-breaking performance in the women’s 60-metre hurdles event.

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