Cover Story: China’s Sports Corruption Dragnet Casts Pall Ahead of Paris Olympics

An ongoing wave of corruption investigations is sweeping through the top ranks of China’s sports regulator, complicating the nation’s Olympic preparations and casting a shadow over its recent successes just weeks before the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Chinese athletes could vie with the U.S. for the most gold medals [para. 1].

On May 30, 2024, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), China’s highest anti-corruption body, initiated an investigation into Gou Zongwen, a former chief of the General Administration of Sport (GAS), China’s top sports regulatory body [para. 2]. Gou is among over a dozen sports officials targeted since late 2022 in a wide-ranging crackdown on bribery related to soccer and preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games [para. 3]. This scandal, while unsurprising to disillusioned Chinese soccer fans, casts a significant shadow over the nation’s pride in its Olympic athletes [para. 4][para. 5].

China's athletes, especially in sports like diving, table tennis, and gymnastics, have become household names and a source of national pride [para. 6]. Since Xu Haifeng’s historic win in 1984, China has consistently performed well in the Summer Olympics, leading in medal counts in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and narrowly trailing the U.S. in 2020 [para. 7].

Gracenote predicts that China will likely finish second to the U.S. in total medals at the Paris Olympics but could rival them for gold [para. 9]. The current corruption crackdown began with Li Tie, former head coach of China’s national men’s soccer team, who was charged with bribery and admitted to match-fixing [para. 10]. Numerous senior soccer officials and sports regulators, including former GAS deputy director Du Zhaocai and former Chinese Football Association (CFA) head Chen Xuyuan, have since been investigated [para. 11].

Although specifics about Gou’s offenses remain undisclosed, the investigation follows probes into several of his subordinates implicated in corruption [para. 13]. Gou, a technocrat with extensive experience in Beijing’s municipal government, held several key positions, including party chief of the GAS and president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, before retiring in 2022 [para. 14]. When the investigation began, he was a deputy director at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s (CPPCC) Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs [para. 15]. At least four former subordinates of Gou, including Liu Aijie, Hu Guangyu, Ni Huizhong, and Cao Weidong, have been implicated in the probe [para. 16].

In April 2023, the CCDI launched a disciplinary inspection of the GAS, focusing on corruption within Olympic preparations and sports reforms [para. 19]. Former CFA head Chen Xuyuan received a life sentence in March 2024 for accepting bribes, while Li Tie awaits sentencing for similar charges [para. 20].

Liu Aijie, a central figure in this scandal, was handpicked to lead the Olympic Preparation Office setup in 2017, designed to bolster China’s Olympic performance [para. 24][para. 26]. Liu, who played a critical role in adopting advanced sports management reforms, used the rowing association's bank account to facilitate transactions for the Preparation Office [para. 33]. This led to large sums of money being funneled through the association, contributing to the corruption charges against him [para. 34].

Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January 2023 for accepting bribes related to athlete selection and training, particularly for the Beijing Winter Olympics [para. 41][para. 46].

Despite these scandals, China's state-led Olympic efforts proved successful, notably with a record medal haul at the 2022 Winter Games [para. 49]. However, recent corruption charges have overshadowed these achievements, leading to further investigations and dismissals within the sports regulatory bodies [para. 50][para. 51].