Chinese Hurdler Liu Xiang Will Forgo Insurance Claim

August 21, 2008

Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang will not make a claim against a 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) insurance policy after an injury forced him to pull out of the Olympics, a team official said Wednesday.

Ping An Insurance Co. issued the personal accident policy to Liu in October when he was named the company’s sporting ambassador as part of its Olympics-related promotional efforts.

“We will not ask for money from Ping An. Our priority is to treat Liu Xiang’s injury,” said Liu Jie, the Chinese Track and Field Management Center’s manager for athletic commercial development.

Liu, 25, pulled out of the first heat for the men’s 110-meter hurdles on Monday, saying pain from a foot injury was intolerable.

A Ping An spokesman, Sheng Ruisheng, said Ping An’s policy covered accidents and if Liu made a claim, “we would need to carefully study the articles of the insurance and see if his injury was covered by the articles.”

Liu became one of China’s most prominent athletes after he won its first men’s Olympic gold medal in track at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

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