Chinese Olympic Diver’s Family Keeps Secrets From Her

In the Olympics last week, Chinese diver Wu Minxia picked up a gold medal in the 3m synchronized springboard, and she became the first woman in history to win three consecutive Olympic golds. But now, we find out that her family intentionally hid devastating secrets as she pursued her career.

The family apparently withheld the fact that her grandparents had died over a year ago and that her mother had been battling breast cancer for eight years. The lies were considered  “essential” to ensuring she remained focused on athletic excellence, her father said,  and family comes second to Chinese national pride.

“We accepted a long time ago that she doesn’t belong entirely to us,” he said. “I don’t even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness.”

The Chinese government’s attitude toward athletes is now coming under fire. In China, children are often taken from their families and placed in special training schools at a very young age. Wu herself began training daily at a diving camp at age six.

What do you think? Should she have known what was happening in her family?