Breaking Through

On the day Zhang Guan was visiting Moscow, the Track and Field Association also held a small-scale internal meeting.

A day earlier, a significant event had occurred in the sports world. The Swimming Center had decided to expel the young diving prince from the national team for the primary reason of using an agent without authorization. Another diving queen, who promptly pulled back from a similar situation, received only a verbal warning.

Using an agent without authorization might sound like a strange reason, but it reflected the Swimming Association's resoluteness. The association took an uncompromising stance on athletes' commercial agency rights, even if it meant using extreme and severe measures.

Among the domestic Olympic champions, besides Zhang Guan, there was no one else who had their own agent. It's common to target the most prominent figures, especially someone like Zhang Guan, who stood out not only for having a complete team of agents but also for securing several major endorsements and advertisements. It would be abnormal if no one was envious.

In the meeting room, Chairman Qu, looking excited, said, "I believe the Swimming Association's approach is correct. Athletes are national assets, and their commercial value should belong to the association. Using an agent without authorization is a sign of insubordination, and disobedient athletes should be punished. We also have such athletes in our track and field team who not only use agents without authorization but have even formed an agent team! This is worse than the case with the diver and much more serious. It's outrageous! The Swimming Association has set an example for other associations, so I suggest we should reclaim the commercial development rights from our athletes."

Although Chairman Qu didn't name anyone, everyone knew he was referring to Zhang Guan.

Including the chairman, no one expressed opposition, but no one showed support either. However, everyone was aware that the Swimming Association's actions gave Chairman Qu a precedent to rely on. Using precedents from higher or equal-level units as a basis for decisions is a safe practice for public officials. If it works out, the credit is theirs; if it goes wrong, the main responsibility lies elsewhere. It's like the saying, "If it wasn't you who hit the person, why did you help them?" This precedent can be cited in future similar cases, and even if a mistake is made, the responsibility can be easily shifted because there was a similar precedent before.

Director Luo, who leaned towards supporting Zhang Guan, hoped to use Zhang Guan to explore a new path for athlete commercialization. However, he felt the situation had become very passive. So, he said, "I don't think it's appropriate to reclaim Zhang Guan's commercial development rights. After all, this was decided by our previous leadership, and we should implement their directives."

"That was the previous leadership's directive," Chairman Qu quickly retorted. "The Swimming Association must have consulted with the bureau leaders before making their decision, and since the bureau didn't oppose it, it shows that the current leaders respect the Swimming Association's decision. I think, although it's not explicitly stated, the Swimming Association's decision also indirectly reflects the current leadership's opinion and points us in the direction for our next steps."

Director Luo slightly furrowed his brows. The former Director Hou retired in December last year, and instead of promoting someone from within the bureau or the sports system, a new director was chosen from the reserve cadre system. This new director had both upper-level and extensive grassroots experience and was highly capable, tasked with the responsibility of the next Olympics in the capital. However, the new director had only been in office for a little over a month and was still organizing his work.

It's normal for policies to change when a new leader takes office. If the previous leader had been promoted, the policy would likely continue, but if the leader retired, the outcome was clear to everyone. Chairman Qu clearly wanted to capitalize on this and apply pressure on the others.

"But we previously signed a contract with Zhang Guan's agent team. If we reclaim Zhang Guan's commercial development rights, his agent team might take legal action. From a legal standpoint, we're not in an advantageous position. Such breaches would certainly damage the association's image," Director Luo argued.

Chairman Qu, evidently prepared, replied, "We are merely requesting Zhang Guan to return his commercial development rights, and he will agree voluntarily. This way, it wouldn't be a breach, and no legal issues would arise."

"There's no way Zhang Guan would agree!" Director Luo gave a look that said, "You're overthinking it," but quickly realized Chairman Qu had more to say.

Sure enough, Chairman Qu continued, "If Zhang Guan doesn't agree, we can penalize him, like suspending him for a while or, following the Swimming Association's example, withdrawing his national team status until he complies."

"Following the Swimming Association again!" Director Luo felt frustrated upon hearing these words, so he remained silent.

Seeing that Director Luo had stopped opposing, a victorious gleam flashed in Chairman Qu's eyes. He decided to seize the moment and conclude the matter at this meeting. Chairman Qu then said, "I think we can talk to Zhang Guan now, give him a notice, and make it clear that if he continues to defy us, he will face penalties."

Director Luo suddenly remembered something and asked, "How does Chairman Qu suggest we talk to him? In person or over the phone?"

"Of course, we should talk to him in person! Such an important matter shouldn't be discussed over the phone; that's too informal. We should send a representative, record the main points of the conversation, and ensure our work is thoroughly documented," Chairman Qu replied. After speaking, Chairman Qu noticed Director Luo narrowing his eyes and looking calm, which made Chairman Qu uneasy. He sensed that Director Luo had a countermeasure.

Director Luo then said, "Chairman Qu might have to wait for a while because it's currently impossible to talk to Zhang Guan."

"Why?" Chairman Qu immediately asked.

"Zhang Guan is abroad for a competition," Director Luo replied, flipping through his notebook and pretending to check work records. He then said, "Zhang Guan is currently in Moscow for the Moscow Indoor Athletics Meet."

"Moscow? Why did he go so far? How could he go abroad!" Chairman Qu exclaimed.

Director Luo calmly said, "A few days ago, Zhang Guan submitted an application to the center, saying that he hadn't competed for a long time and was worried about losing his competitive edge, so he requested to participate in some competitions in Europe to regain his form."

"Going abroad to regain his form? How convenient! Could it be an excuse to avoid us?" Chairman Qu thought but couldn't say aloud. He then asked, "What about Liu, the sprinter? Did he also go abroad to regain his form?"

"No, he didn't," Director Luo shook his head. "Liu's form is maintained very well. Regarding this issue, I need to explain to everyone that Liu has participated in many competitions over the years and has a lot of experience in maintaining his competitive form. In this aspect, his experience is far superior to Zhang Guan's. Zhang Guan has had less than two years of professional sports training and has participated in very few competitions, so his ability to maintain competitive form is relatively lacking. Maintaining competitive form cannot be rushed; it is a matter of experience and requires time and a lot of competitions to improve."

The chairman, sitting in the middle, nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Director Luo's explanation.

"What about the expenses? The cost of a trip to Europe for Zhang Guan must be substantial. Our budget is tight, and many competitions this year are already over budget. If it's about maintaining competitive form, there are closer places to go; there's no need to go all the way to Europe!" Chairman Qu questioned, feeling he had found a critical point.

"Zhang Guan is competing at his own expense; he's not using the center's funds," Director Luo replied, looking at his notebook again, and continued, "Moreover, as a world record holder, Zhang Guan receives appearance fees for many small and medium-sized events, and by regulation, 15% of these fees must be submitted as an association development fund. So, this time, not only will Zhang Guan's trip not cost the center a penny, but he will also contribute some development funds, which can help alleviate our financial difficulties."

Director Luo's words left Chairman Qu speechless, but he didn't give up and said, "When will Zhang Guan return? We can talk to him about disbanding his agent team when he gets back."

At that moment, the meeting room door opened, and the office director walked in. He nodded to the leaders present, then handed some documents to the chairman, whispering something in his ear. Judging by the chairman's pleased expression, it must have been good news.

After the office director finished his report and stood aside, the chairman cleared his throat and said, "I have some good news to share with everyone. Yesterday, in the Moscow Indoor Athletics Meet, Zhang Guan won the championship with a time of 6.38 seconds and broke the world record for the men's 60-meter sprint!"

"Another world record!" Chairman Qu looked shocked, while Director Luo smiled happily.

The chairman continued, "Next, Zhang Guan will head to Germany for another competition. I think we shouldn't distract our athletes at this time. Other issues should be postponed. Let's allow Zhang Guan to focus on competing, winning more championships, and showcasing the spirit of our Chinese athletes to the world!"

Chairman Qu felt deflated, knowing that his previous statements were now futile.