Lei’s mother filed a lawsuit in the British Columbia Supreme Court against the organisers and other relevant parties in February.
She alleges in the lawsuit that the competition advertised for “light” and “controlled” contact and explicitly prohibited the participation of professional fighters.
She said that the opponent had professional experience, had recently competed in a kickboxing tournament in Thailand, and was “fraudulently” placed in the novice group.
He violated the rules by repeatedly kicking Lei in the head which resulted in a severe brain haemorrhage that left her son in a coma.
Even after Lei displayed “signs of injury”, he was allowed to participate in another bout which exacerbated his condition and resulted in his “profound injury and repeated vomiting”, according to his mother’s statement.
The lawsuit claims that the organisers failed to provide adequate medical care at the scene, delaying the call for medical help, meaning that it took paramedics 90 minutes to arrive at the scene.
Doctors have informed Lei’s mother that her son “is likely to never recover.”
Lei’s mother is suing the organisers of the event for their failure to adequately protect fighters like her son.
She also accuses the World Karate and Kickboxing Union Canada (WKU) of not lawfully sanctioning the event, and Simon Fraser University for allowing their facilities to be used inappropriately.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and no defence statements have yet been filed.
Lei’s mother took her son back to China to seek further medical treatment in Beijing this month.
“My son grew up in a single-parent household, he is my only child. I have devoted all my efforts to him. Raising him to this point has not been easy. Just as he was about to complete his PhD, our hopes were shattered,” she said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Lei has been pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at The University of British Columbia since 2020, after completing his undergraduate studies in Material and Nanoscience at Beijing Jiaotong University and the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
The tragedy, reported CBC News, has sparked a widespread discussion on mainland social media, with many expressing their sympathy and support for Lei and his family.
“His mother must be heartbroken seeing her son beaten into this state,” one person said.
“What a desperate situation. An only child, a PhD candidate, and then such a tragedy happened. Who could bear it?” said another.
“It seems like the competition was just for the professional fighters to boost their records. But first, the student wasn’t informed, and second, the professional fighter did not hold back, which is very odd,” another person said.
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