The arrest of Gou Zhongwen, the highest-ranking official in China's sports world to date, has deeply affected figures like Liu Guoliang and Cai Zhenhua.
The saying goes, "People die for wealth, birds perish for food." From the Chinese men's football team to the basketball team, many individuals have been criticized by fans due to personal relationships and interests. Consequently, anti-corruption efforts in the sports sector have become a top priority.
On May 30th, when news broke that Gou Zhongwen, the director of China's General Administration of Sport, was under investigation, people began to pay close attention to changes in the Chinese sports scene. Now, the case against Gou Zhongwen has finally reached a conclusion!
On December 12th, Gou Zhongwen was "double expelled," and just a few days later, he was formally arrested. His downfall has brought mixed reactions—some are happy, while others are distressed.
Official reports have exposed his crimes, revealing a series of despicable actions he took, especially these four major moves that threw the entire Chinese sports world into chaos, deeply affecting Liu Guoliang and Cai Zhenhua!
It was shocking when Gou Zhongwen became the director of the General Administration of Sport, as his previous path had almost exclusively involved information research and engineering, with no connection to sports whatsoever.
However, he managed to rise through the ranks with his abilities, becoming one of the candidates for the position of director of the General Administration of Sport. Compared to Gou Zhongwen, many people favored Cai Zhenhua.
Cai Zhenhua was then the deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, not only a great contributor to Chinese table tennis but also deeply rooted in the sports industry for years and serving as the chairman of the Football Association.
When comparing their resumes, Cai Zhenhua had an absolute advantage; he was an international-level athlete in table tennis and had served as the head coach of the national table tennis team.
Cai Zhenhua dedicated his life to China's sports cause, whereas Gou Zhongwen had no prior connection to sports before his appointment as director.
It is said that Gou Zhongwen was able to defeat Cai Zhenhua because he made remarkable achievements while working in the education system. Therefore, he was elected as the director of the General Administration of Sport, aiming to make a difference in the sports sector and promote the development of Chinese sports.
As the saying goes, "A new official starts with three bold moves." Unexpectedly, after taking office, Gou Zhongwen stirred up the Chinese sports world with these four major moves, starting with his former competitor, Cai Zhenhua.
Before this, Cai Zhenhua was still the deputy director of the General Administration of Sport. Although he did not become the director, he was unexpectedly marginalized due to Gou Zhongwen's appointment and eventually left his position to work at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
Even after Cai Zhenhua's departure, Gou Zhongwen did not stop there. Instead, he wanted trusted individuals to take over other positions within the sports system, leading to a significant reshuffle within the system.
After completing these tasks, Gou Zhongwen naturally needed to demonstrate his capabilities to others, or it would be challenging to gain their support. After all, he had never worked in any sports system before. However, what he did always seemed self-satisfying.
We all know that although all sports competitions are physical activities, they focus on different aspects, resulting in varied training content.
For example, sprinters focus more on explosive power, while long-distance runners do not need to. Similarly, table tennis, badminton, and swimming have different requirements for various bodily functions, so the goals of physical testing vary accordingly.
Unexpectedly, Gou Zhongwen implemented a "one-size-fits-all" approach to physical testing, meaning that regardless of whether you are a sprinter or a long-distance runner, the physical test items are identical.
This news was a bolt from the blue for athletes. Although they could still train according to the specific focus of their sport, if they failed the physical test, they would not be eligible to compete.
Gou Zhongwen's move led to many former Olympic champions not qualifying for competitions due to uniform physical testing standards. As a result, he was heavily criticized at the time, and people finally understood that he was an "amateur" who knew nothing.
Despite external criticism, Gou Zhongwen remained indifferent and continued to exert himself in various sports, pushing his self-proclaimed reforms.
The current state of our men's football team, which seems beyond help, can be attributed in part to Gou Zhongwen's reforms. His reforms divided the Football Association into two factions, leading to severe corruption where some individuals cared less about results and more about personal gain.
Furthermore, his fourth action caused a collective strike among Chinese table tennis players. Gou Zhongwen not only abolished the coaches of the men's and women's national table tennis teams but also appointed Liu Guoliang as the 23rd vice-chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, despite there already being 22 vice-chairmen.
Although the title sounded impressive, it effectively meant that Liu Guoliang could not directly oversee the development of the national table tennis team, as he was sidelined by Gou Zhongwen!
After learning about Liu Guoliang's situation, the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour China Open should have continued with the round of 16 matches. However, neither the coaches nor the players of the Chinese table tennis team participated, announcing their withdrawal from the competition.
Although Ma Long later apologized to the public on their behalf, it clearly demonstrated the extent of the dissatisfaction among table tennis players towards Gou Zhongwen. This incident shocked many across the nation and became known as the "June 23 Strike Event."
Fortunately, Gou Zhongwen only held the position of director of the General Administration of Sport for six years. In just six short years, he set back our sports by several years without making any significant progress.
During these years, Gou Zhongwen repeatedly violated regulations, accepting gifts multiple times, attending banquets and travel arrangements, approving large amounts of funds privately, and seeking benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials while receiving financial kickbacks.
Moreover, during the construction of national sports projects, he took the opportunity to amass wealth, opening special "channels" for certain enterprises and benefiting greatly himself.
Even when facing investigations, Gou Zhongwen showed no remorse and refused to admit his actions, attempting to cover them up.
However, as the saying goes, "Nothing remains hidden unless one refrains from doing it." Ultimately, after investigations, Gou Zhongwen was "double expelled" and formally arrested on the 19th, handed over to the procuratorate for prosecution.
Gou Zhongwen's downfall is a satisfying outcome. One must eventually pay for their actions. We believe that once these corrupt elements in the Chinese sports world are eliminated, our sports endeavors will embrace new hope and achieve greater progress.