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Why so many sport chiefs in China have come under corruption clouds
- Beijing’s state system for sport aims for glory in the international arena but is criticised for corruption and neglecting grass-roots participation
- The link between China’s football and its real estate fortunes may mean graft will now be less rampant, giving time to rebuild, researcher says
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First, the chief of the Chinese Football Association and his senior associates were investigated.
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Then a deputy sports minister was arrested, followed by several heads of other national sports administrations, including winter sports, track and field and rowing.
By late September, the latest work group from the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) had landed several blows on the General Administration of Sport (GAS), netting the director of the Winter Sports Administration Ni Huizhong, who was crucial to the country’s success in hosting last year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, and deputy sports minister Du Zhaocai, the most senior official caught in the latest campaign.
On Tuesday, former CFA president Chen Xuyuan was prosecuted in a Hubei court, charged with taking bribes “of a particularly large amount”.
And Li Tie, who previously played in the English Premier League and later became China’s national team manager, was in custody, accused of taking bribes.
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Teen fan rushes pitch to hug Lionel Messi during friendly match in China
Teen fan rushes pitch to hug Lionel Messi during friendly match in China
Other prominent names in sports administration have been entangled in China’s anti-corruption campaign, including Li Yaguang, former vice-president of the Chinese Basketball Association, Liu Aijie, former president of the Chinese Rowing Association and vice-president of the International Canoe Federation, Yu Hongchen, president of the Chinese Athletics Association and Chen Xuyuan, president of the Chinese Football Association.
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