Olympic champion Liu Xiang said he has received a RMB 494,000 buyout payment from the Shanghai sports authorities and will have no further ties with the sports bureau.
Liu, who won the men's 110-metre hurdles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, made the remarks in a post on Weibo on Wednesday (Sept. 10), saying the buyout was completed on Sept. 1.
"On Sept. 1, the buyout was completed, and I received a buyout payment of RMB 494,000. From now on, I will have no further ties with the sports bureau," Liu wrote.
He also said that he had received a total of RMB 982,935 in salaries, subsidies and other payments from April 7, 2015, to date, and donated the entire amount to the China Charity Federation on Sept. 2 to support disaster relief efforts following mudslides in Xizang.
Previously, on Aug. 26, Liu had turned to his followers on Weibo for advice, writing: "I'm facing a difficult decision and would like to hear your opinions. The sports bureau is asking me to either accept a buyout or work as a coach. What should I do?"
The Shanghai Sports Bureau responded on the same day, according to Xinhua News Agency, saying that both the Shanghai Sports Bureau and the competitive sports training management center would maintain good communication with Liu and properly handle arrangements concerning his support and resettlement.
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