Amid anti-corruption drive, China’s sports regulator says ‘political stance’ is top priority for cadres

Head of the General Administration of Sport of China says quality control of cadres in the sports sector must be improved

China’s intensifying anti-corruption campaign has snared several leading sports figures this year

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Gao Zhidan, head of the General Administration of Sport of China, says “deviations” among cadres must be corrected. Photo: Handout

Published: 6:26pm, 30 Aug 2023

China’s top sports regulator has pledged to place “political stance” as the top priority in selecting cadres amid a sweeping anti-corruption drive in the sector.

During a conference on personnel work in the country’s sports system on Tuesday, Gao Zhidan, the Communist Party chief and head of the General Administration of Sport of China, said “political stance” and “correcting deviations” should be prioritised, according to a meeting readout published on the administration’s website on the same day.

“[We] have to adhere to a problem-oriented approach and effectively enhance the sense of urgency, responsibility and mission in organisational and personnel work [in the sports system],” Gao said, according to the readout.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the administration’s leadership, and proposed “strict management and supervision” to improve the quality of cadres in how they are selected and managed to ensure that officials and the public are more satisfied, the readout said.

Also attending were heads of nationwide sports organisations and representatives from anti-corruption watchdogs, who discussed ways to improve cadres and personnel work, according to the readout.

The call to make “political building” the top priority came as the country’s top anti-corruption body continued to probe China’s sports sector, an inquiry that began soon after Xi Jinping in March secured an unprecedented third term as China’s president and the Communist Party completed a twice-a-decade leadership transition.

Five months into the anti-corruption drive, several leading Chinese sports officials have been brought down as the investigation has expanded beyond football – long a notorious arena of corruption.

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