Official Arrest! The Highest Official Position in China's Sports History, Liu Guoliang and Cai Zhenhua Suffered Persecution
Former Director of the General Administration of Sport and former member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Gou Zhongwen, has finally been captured by the law after months of in-depth investigation. This news, like a blockbuster bomb, instantly caused a sensation both inside and outside the sports world.
Looking back to 2016, the General Administration of Sport was brewing a profound personnel change at that time. Vice Director Cai Zhenhua, a legendary figure in the table tennis world, had already established a lofty prestige in the sports circle with his brilliant record and outstanding leadership.
Therefore, when Director Liu Peng considered stepping down, Cai Zhenhua naturally became a hot candidate to succeed him.
However, fate is unpredictable, and the one who eventually took over was Gou Zhongwen, who had no connection with the sports profession. This decision not only surprised the fans but also sparked a fierce debate within the sports circle about professionalism versus management, experience versus innovation.
After taking office, Gou Zhongwen eagerly began to implement a series of controversial decisions. He first gradually marginalized Cai Zhenhua, transferring him away from the core of the sports world, and then launched a "reform" within the sports circle that seemed grand but was actually chaotic and disorderly.
Among them, the most criticized was the physical fitness testing system he introduced. This system required all athletes to undergo unified physical fitness tests and linked the test results with eligibility for competition.
This approach not only caused many excellent athletes to miss opportunities due to failing the physical fitness test but also made experts in the sports circle shake their heads in regret.
They pointed out that there are huge differences in physical fitness requirements among athletes in different events, and using physical fitness tests as the sole criterion for participation is undoubtedly a great neglect and disrespect for the professionalism of athletes.
If the physical fitness testing system was just a small episode on Gou Zhongwen's reform journey, then the "June 23 Boycott Incident" in 2017 completely pushed him to the forefront of public attention.
In that highly anticipated men's singles 16 to 8 match of the ITTF China Open, table tennis stars such as Ma Long and Xu Xin, along with their head coaches, announced a "boycott" without the consent of the Chinese Table Tennis Association.
Their posts on Weibo were identical: "At this moment, we have no heart for battle, only because we miss you, Liu Guoliang!"
This incident not only damaged the reputation of the national table tennis team but also made sports fans question Gou Zhongwen's leadership ability.
It turned out that in order to promote his own reform plan, Gou Zhongwen was willing to cancel the key position of the national table tennis head coach and transfer Liu Guoliang, a legend in the table tennis world, to serve as a vice-chairman of the Table Tennis Association with no real power. This decision was undoubtedly a huge blow to the internal stability of the national table tennis team.
In addition to the above events, Gou Zhongwen also proposed a series of absurd decisions. For example, to promote local players, he proposed the ridiculous rule of "counting a goal scored by a U23 player in the Chinese Super League as 1.5 goals."
This decision not only failed to achieve its original intention but also made professionals and fans in the football world laugh and cry.
They all expressed that football is a sport that emphasizes fairness, justice, and competitive spirit. Artificially weighting and magnifying the number of goals scored is undoubtedly a great distortion and desecration of the essence of football.
Despite leaving many controversies and regrets during his tenure, the outstanding performance of the Chinese sports delegation at the Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics shone like a beam of light on the future of the sports world.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese delegation concluded with excellent results of 38 golds, 32 silvers, and 18 bronzes; and at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese delegation amazed the world with its best historical results of 9 golds, 4 silvers, and 2 bronzes.
Behind these achievements are the hard work and tireless efforts of countless athletes and coaches. They proved with their actions that no matter how big the difficulties and challenges are, as long as they persist in their beliefs and forge ahead, they can surely create their own glory.
Now, Gou Zhongwen has been officially arrested on suspicion of bribery, abuse of power, and other crimes. This news, like a shout of justice, has greatly uplifted the spirits of sports fans.
They all expressed that Gou Zhongwen's downfall is not only a severe punishment for his personal illegal acts but also a strong deterrence to corruption in the Chinese sports circle.
They hope that the Chinese sports circle can take this as an opportunity to strengthen institutional construction, improve regulatory mechanisms, enhance management levels, and let the sports industry truly return to a healthy, fair, and sustainable development track.
Gou Zhongwen's downfall is not only a major victory for the Chinese sports circle but also a profound revelation for the vast majority of sports lovers and athletes.
It tells us that no matter what position we are in or what power we possess, we must always maintain a clear mind and firm belief.
Only in this way can we stand invincible in the complex and changing sports world and contribute our strength to the prosperity and development of China's sports cause.
At the same time, I also hope that the Chinese sports circle can take this as a lesson, strengthen internal management, enhance professional quality, and promote the spirit of sports, so that Chinese sports can go further, more steadily, and more splendidly in the future!