DENVER, Colorado — The gymnastics coach for a one-time Olympic alternate received a lifetime ban Thursday from the U.S. Center for SafeSport .

Qi Han, whose case dates to at least 2016 and who had been under a temporary sanction for the past two years, was listed as permanently ineligible, subject to appeal, on the center's disciplinary database.

It said he was found to have committed emotional misconduct, physical misconduct and violated USA Gymnastics policies and bylaws.

Han, a former gymnast on the Chinese national team, and his wife, Yiwen Chen, opened Everest Gymnastics in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2004. The gym quickly gained prominence within USA Gymnastics. In 2016, Han served as the coach to Olympic alternate Ashton Locklear.

Locklear told The New Yor

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