Chapter 1238: Chapter 1236: 1335 became a laughingstock

The person didn’t even think about it and directly answered, “I definitely wouldn’t be willing.”

Tao Zhi sneered, “If you’re not willing, what makes you think others should accept this outcome? Every athlete who came to compete has put in tremendous effort, and in today’s long-distance race, many athletes were injured. You’re suggesting redoing the race, but do you think they can still stand up and run?”

The person muttered under their breath, “It’s not just those few athletes. If we continue the competition, we could invite some more athletes.”

Tao Zhi became somewhat angry. “Don’t assume everyone wants to sign up for a long-distance race!” If it hadn’t been for Tan Rou, he wouldn’t have come to this banquet tonight. Since Tan Rou participated in today’s women’s 3000 meters, he didn’t want her efforts to go to waste, which is why he came tonight to prevent these people from impulsively invalidating the earlier race results.

The committee member was scared by Tao Zhi’s tone and said with a forced smile, “Chief Tao, I was just speaking off the cuff. Please don’t take it to heart. You’re right, all the results come from the athletes’ hard work and shouldn’t be canceled on a whim.”

Tao Zhi cooled down a bit and said, “I just feel that athletes who have put in the effort shouldn’t be let down. As for those who came to create trouble from the start, their results should not only be canceled, but we should also restrict their rights and forbid them from participating in any athletic competitions in the future.”

“Exactly, you’re absolutely right. We will definitely handle this matter,” said another older official. “This was our oversight, and we will come up with a good solution.”

Tao Zhi said sarcastically, “The evidence was submitted to you this morning, and you haven’t come up with any solutions all day. Are you really expecting to think of something by working overtime tonight?”

His words were sharp, leaving the committee members speechless, and they fell silent again.

“Does Chief Tao have any good solutions?” Mayor Guo asked once more, “If Tao Zhi has a good solution, feel free to share it. If we think it’s excellent, we might adopt your idea.”

Tao Zhi didn’t care whether they would adopt his idea or not. He just didn’t want to sit there in silence with them. On such a fine evening, why not go home and enjoy time with his wife?

“If I were in your position, I’d immediately release a statement expelling those who broke the rules, and declare that they will never be allowed to participate in sports competitions again,” Tao Zhi said, “As for those who were injured on the field, not only must you treat their injuries, but you must also provide additional compensation.”

“Those who reached the finish line through their own ability should receive their awards today as originally planned,” Tao Zhi emphasized, “Give them what’s due, and do not shortchange them.”

The official said with a distressed look, “Chief Tao, there are too many people; we can’t afford to compensate them all!”

Tao Zhi didn’t want to hear his excuses. “Our investment this year was ten times that of last year. Don’t tell us you don’t have the money, unless…” He looked around the room and stopped talking.

A sponsor beside them added, “Unless you’ve embezzled that money, there should be more than enough funds.”

With things having come to this point, the committee members naturally had no objections. They could only dig into their own pockets to retrieve the money and use it to compensate the injured athletes.

Under pressure from both the city government and sponsors, the committee finally released a declaration at midnight, along with a document listing all athletes who had violated the rules.

When Tao Zhi sent the link to Tan Rou, she hadn’t gone to bed yet. She glanced at the time when the declaration was released and thought to herself how amusing these people were for not daring to release it during the daytime and only doing so at midnight when few were awake.

“What are you looking at?” Zhuang Liu flopped down beside Tan Rou. “The declaration?”

Tan Rou replied with a smile, “I’m looking at a joke.”

Zhuang Liu quickly realized what joke Tan Rou was referring to and said with a laugh, “This joke is indeed quite funny.”

This year’s Youth Cup became the biggest joke in the history of Capital’s athletic meets. As a result, at every subsequent athletic meet, people would ask, “Will this time’s champion get a house in Capital?”