This afternoon, Li Quanqiang, the former director of the Volleyball Management Center of the General Administration of Sport, was investigated, becoming a hot topic on the internet. For many fans, the ups and downs of the Chinese women's volleyball team over the years have been directly related to Li Quanqiang. As the first high-ranking official in the volleyball field to be investigated, Li Quanqiang's downfall may uncover problems that have long been hidden in the volleyball field.
The reason why Li Quanqiang's investigation has caused such a stir is that he has been deeply involved in the Chinese volleyball world for too long. From 1997 to 2022, for 25 years, Li Quanqiang has been a senior manager in the volleyball world, serving as the leader of the men's and women's volleyball teams, and finally retiring from his position as the top leader of volleyball. Over the years, no matter how the women's volleyball team performed, even in the face of tragic defeats, Li Quanqiang's position remained unshakable, making him known as the "indestructible" figure in the Chinese volleyball world.
Moreover, when Li Quanqiang was finally investigated, he was the top leader of the Volleyball Management Center, with significant influence. Long-term, the Chinese volleyball world has not received much attention from the outside world, except during major events like the Olympics and World Championships for the women's team, and people rarely pay attention to the development of volleyball, especially the men's team. Therefore, with Li Quanqiang's investigation, people are curious about how the corrupt interest chain in the volleyball world was formed, what exactly led to the Chinese women's volleyball team's defeat at the Tokyo Olympics, and why there is always controversy surrounding the selection of coaches. After lifting the lid on the Chinese volleyball world, it will also bring out other individuals, which has become a focus of public attention.
It is worth noting that Lai Yawen, the successor to Li Quanqiang and the current director of the Chinese Volleyball Management Center, has not appeared at major events since the Paris Olympics, including the opening ceremonies of the Super League and the National Championships, as well as the Women's Volleyball Club World Cup. Especially at the Women's Volleyball Club World Cup, where Tianjin Volleyball representing China reached the final and made history, neither Lai Yawen, the director of the Volleyball Management Center, nor Cai Bin, the head coach of the women's volleyball team, were present to watch the game, which raised many questions at the time. After all, at such an important event as the Club World Cup final, Lai Yawen, as the top leader of Chinese volleyball, should have been there to encourage the players and coaches.
Of course, as Li Quanqiang's former deputy, who worked with him for many years, it is inevitable that some situations would require her to follow up after Li Quanqiang's investigation. Therefore, her absence from some occasions does not necessarily indicate any issues. However, it does give people a sense of unusual signs.
It is worth mentioning that previously, people were more concerned about anti-corruption in Chinese football. A batch of high-ranking officials and coaches were caught and sentenced, bringing clarity to the Chinese football world, and the overall image of football has significantly improved this year. Unlike Chinese football, other sports have not undergone a thorough cleanup. Last year, there was heated discussion about problems in Chinese basketball, with well-known media personality Yang Yi revealing that inspection teams had entered the Basketball Association, coupled with the investigation of Li Yaguang, who previously served as vice-chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, which raised expectations for anti-corruption actions in Chinese basketball.
However, to this day, the Chinese Basketball Association has changed its leadership, with Yao Ming stepping down, but no major actions have been taken. After the three major ball sports have been given greater importance, Chinese volleyball has taken the lead with actions. After the lid is lifted on the volleyball world, basketball should also take action next.
In addition, besides the three major ball sports, table tennis and other popular projects have also caused great public opinion shocks. What exactly are the problems within them, and more inside information needs to be made public. This investigation of Li Quanqiang may also give the table tennis world a shake.