Zhang Jike Training Base Charges from 980 Yuan per Month: What Legal Risks Are Hidden in Sports Training Contracts? Lawyer's Analysis

Introduction: Legal risks cannot be ignored in the training business under the halo of champions

The table tennis training base opened by Olympic champion Zhang Jike in Ningbo has recently become a hot topic due to the exposure of its charging standards - the monthly fee ranges from 980 yuan to 4400 yuan, and some students have bluntly stated that it is "considered very low". From a business perspective, celebrity training comes with its own traffic, and the affordable price seems to be a win-win situation. But as a lawyer who has been dealing with contract disputes and consumer rights cases for a long time, what I see is another side: the sports training industry has experienced frequent disputes in recent years, with problems such as prepaid running away, coach qualification injection, and unclear responsibility for training injuries emerging one after another. Is the pricing of Zhang Jike Training Base compliant? What should parents pay attention to legally before paying? How to protect one's rights once a dispute arises? These questions are far more worth digging into than whether tuition fees are expensive or not.

1、 Legal characterization of sports training contracts: What exactly did you sign?

Many parents assume that everything is fine when they receive a receipt or electronic confirmation when enrolling their children in training classes. However, from a legal perspective, the relationship established between parents and training institutions is a * * education and training service contract * *, which is subject to the dual constraints of the Contract Compilation of the Civil Code and the Consumer Rights Protection Law.

Article 469 of the Civil Code stipulates that the parties may conclude a contract in written, oral or other forms. This means that even without a formal contract, WeChat chat records, transfer vouchers, and enrollment brochures can still constitute the content of the contract. But the problem is that verbal agreements often have unclear provisions on key issues such as refund conditions, class scheduling, and coach replacement. Once disputes arise, it is extremely difficult for parents to provide evidence.

Taking Zhang Jike Training Base as an example, the monthly fee ranges from 980 yuan to 4400 yuan, with a price difference of more than four times. What are the service contents corresponding to different price ranges? Is it a one-on-one or a large class? Is the coach Zhang Jike himself or a regular teaching assistant? How many times per week and for how long each time? If these core terms are not written in black and white in the contract, disputes over 'wrong goods' are likely to arise in the later stage.

In judicial practice, when the court hears such cases, it usually reviews whether the training institution has provided the services as agreed based on Article 509 of the Civil Code regarding the comprehensive performance of contractual obligations. If it is explicitly promised in the enrollment promotion that "Zhang Jike will personally guide", but other coaches are actually teaching, parents can fully claim that the training institution constitutes a breach of contract and demand a reduction in fees or termination of the contract.

2、 Financial Security in Prepaid Mode: Is Your Money Really Safe?

The sports training industry generally adopts a prepaid model, charging fees on a monthly, quarterly, or even annual basis. This model can quickly recover funds for institutions, but for consumers, the risks should not be underestimated.

In recent years, there have been frequent cases of "running away with money" from gyms to educational institutions. In 2021, a well-known basketball training institution suddenly shut down in many parts of the country, and thousands of parents' prepaid tuition fees were lost. The legal essence of such incidents is that institutions fail to provide services as agreed after receiving prepaid fees, which constitutes a fundamental breach of contract.

In response to this issue, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Regulating the Development of Off campus Training Institutions" in 2018, which clearly requires training institutions not to charge fees exceeding three months at once. Although this opinion mainly targets disciplinary training, non disciplinary training such as sports and arts is gradually being implemented in practice in various regions. Some provinces and cities have issued local regulations requiring sports training institutions to deposit prepaid funds into regulatory accounts and accept third-party custody.

For parents, the most practical advice is to avoid paying fees for more than 3 months at once. Even if institutions offer the temptation of "annual payment discounts", they still need to balance financial security. If institutions insist on annual payments and refuse to provide proof of financial supervision, this itself is a warning signal.

In addition, payment must be made through bank transfer or a legitimate payment platform, and complete vouchers must be retained. Do not transfer the fees to the coach's personal WeChat or Alipay account, otherwise, once a dispute occurs, it is difficult to prove that the money was paid to the organization.

3、 Who is responsible for training injuries? The legal boundary of compensation for personal injury

Although table tennis is not as competitive as basketball and football, accidents may still occur during training, such as slips, sprains, racket injuries, and injuries to others. How to allocate responsibility once a child is injured during training?

Article 1199 of the Civil Code stipulates that if a person without civil capacity suffers personal injury during their study or life in an educational institution, the educational institution shall bear tort liability, unless it can be proven that they have fulfilled their educational and management responsibilities. For persons with limited capacity for civil conduct (minors over 8 years old), Article 1200 shall apply, and the victim shall prove that the educational institution has not fulfilled its educational and management responsibilities.

When it comes to sports training scenarios, courts usually review the following aspects: whether the training venue meets safety standards, whether the coach has the corresponding qualifications, whether the training intensity matches the age and physical condition of the trainees, and whether necessary safety protection measures have been provided. If the coach leaves the post without authorization during training, or arranges overloaded training that causes injuries to the trainees, the training institution cannot shirk its responsibility.

It is worth noting that some training institutions may include clauses in their contracts that exempt them from liability for accidents that occur during the training period. According to Article 506 of the Civil Code, the exemption clause for causing personal injury to the other party is invalid. That is to say, such "life and death situations" are not legally justifiable, and parents do not need to be intimidated by them.

But conversely, if students do not follow the coach's instructions and act without authorization, resulting in injuries, the responsibility of the institution will also be correspondingly reduced. Therefore, it is equally important for parents to understand the insurance configuration of the institution when registering - formal institutions usually purchase accident insurance for students, which is also a reference indicator to determine whether they are professional.

4、 Coach qualifications and false advertising: the legal boundary of celebrity effect

The biggest selling point of Zhang Jike's training base is undoubtedly his own championship aura. But there is a key issue that needs to be clarified legally: celebrity endorsements and celebrity lectures are two different things.

If Zhang Jike's name and portrait are used in the enrollment promotion, implying or indicating that he will personally participate in teaching, while the actual class is completed by his team members, this may constitute false advertising as stipulated in Article 28 of the Advertising Law. According to Article 55 of the Law, those who publish false advertisements shall be ordered by the market supervision and administration department to stop publishing, and shall be fined three to five times the advertising expenses. If the circumstances are serious, the business license may be revoked.

Meanwhile, Article 8 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to know, and Article 20 stipulates that operators shall not make false or misleading propaganda. If parents register for payment because they trust "Zhang Jike's personal guidance" and find that the goods are not in line, they can claim "refund one and compensate three" according to Article 55 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law.

From the perspective of legal practice, I suggest parents do three things before registering: first, require the institution to clearly state in writing the name and qualifications of the teaching coach; Secondly, check if the coach holds a social sports instructor certificate or relevant professional qualifications issued by the General Administration of Sport of China; Thirdly, save screenshots of the enrollment brochure and promotional page as evidence for future rights protection.

The issue with celebrity training itself is not whether the celebrity effect is used to cover up the lack of service quality. The law protects the reasonable trust of consumers, not the monetization of celebrity traffic.

Conclusion: Before enrolling in the class, go through the legal checklist first

The fee dispute at Zhang Jike Training Base appears to be a price issue, but in essence reflects the legal shortcomings of the sports training industry in terms of contract regulation, fund supervision, safety guarantee, advertising and promotion. For parents, a monthly fee of 980 yuan may not be expensive, but if the contract terms are vague, the refund mechanism is missing, and the safety responsibility is unclear, the subsequent cost of rights protection may far exceed the tuition fee itself.

As a practicing lawyer, my advice is to carefully read the contract before signing, focusing on refund conditions, coach arrangements, insurance coverage, and disclaimer clauses; Keep the voucher when making payment to avoid large prepayments; Timely fix evidence in case of disputes, and if necessary, claim rights through legal means. Sports training is a good thing, but only when it operates within the legal framework can it truly reassure parents and benefit children.

Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm has been handling education and training contract disputes, consumer rights protection, and personal injury compensation cases for a long time. If you encounter similar legal issues, please feel free to consult professional lawyers and use legal weapons to protect your own rights and interests.