A Chinese state think tank has described the president’s vision for sport in China, stating that it is promoting fair competition and advocating for a more “just and reasonable” global sports order, giving a stronger voice to developing nations.
In its report on Xi Jinping Thought on sport, the Xinhua Institute, which is part of the official news agency Xinhua, emphasized the Chinese leader’s demand for “zero tolerance” towards doping. This report, released on Tuesday, is the first to outline Xi’s ideology on sport, adding to his political doctrine on culture—unveiled in October—and his views on the economy, diplomacy, military, environment, and legal affairs.
Xi wants to build new international sports order
The report mentioned that the values associated with sport, such as fair play, adherence to rules, and respect for opponents, can also serve as a guide in shaping human political, economic, and social life. This approach, according to the report, is particularly significant in the world of great power competition. Furthermore, the report highlighted that promoting justice through sport goes beyond demonstrating fair political competition; it also involves building a more just and reasonable new international sports order.
According to the report, under Xi’s leadership, China has become more engaged in international sport and has hosted more large-scale events. It noted that there are more Chinese representatives in international sporting organizations and that China’s influence and voice in global sports governance have grown.
The report also indicated that the world’s political and economic centre of gravity appears to be shifting towards developing countries, a trend also evident in sports, as more nations from the Global South have been granted the opportunity to host the Olympics and other major events.
China’s role in global sports governance
The report highlighted that China plays a significant role in the recent changes in global sports governance, particularly citing the influence of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
This observation follows China’s most successful overseas Olympic Games in Paris, where the country secured 40 gold medals, tying with the United States. The team won a total of 91 medals, just one less than their haul in London in 2012 and the highest outside the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where China won 48 gold medals and 100 medals overall.
Last week, Xi commended the Chinese team for their achievements in the Paris Games, which concluded on August 11. He noted that the team had earned recognition for their morality, conduct, integrity, sportsmanship, and had gained broad respect.
China well-positioned to organize international events
Responding to the think tank report in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the convenor of the decision-making Executive Council, stated that China had emerged as a major sporting nation and was well-positioned to lead in organizing international events. She suggested that China could potentially bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036 or 2040, with the Greater Bay Area as a possible location due to its abundance of outstanding athletes and world-class sporting facilities. She also mentioned that Hong Kong could host some events, given its international-standard facilities and the growing community support for sports, boosted by the city’s athletes’ performances.
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Zero tolerance for doping in Chinese sports
In its report, the think tank noted that Xi Jinping had always been concerned about the rigging of sporting events and emphasized the president’s stance that there would be zero tolerance for doping in Chinese sports. The report also mentioned that China had taken a historic step in this regard by criminalizing doping at the end of 2020.
China and the United States continue to clash over doping allegations in sporting competitions. In July, just weeks before the Paris Games, the US Justice Department launched a criminal investigation into the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who were allowed to continue competing after failing doping tests in 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
While the world’s anti-doping body has not reported any cases related to the Chinese swimmers, accusations from Western athletes have persisted. Meanwhile, Beijing has responded to the US by highlighting its athletes’ failed drug tests and criticizing the overall policing of doping.
Weeding corruption out of sports
Tuesday’s report also focused on Xi’s extensive anti-corruption campaign, describing the sports system as “scraping the bone to cure the poison” – a phrase previously used by the Chinese leader in reference to the campaign. This drive has led to investigations into dozens of top sports figures for corruption in recent years, including Gou Zhongwen, the former head of the General Administration of Sport, and senior officials from the Chinese Football Association and football clubs.
On Wednesday, Du Zhaocai, former party secretary of the CFA, pleaded guilty to charges of accepting bribes exceeding 43.41 million yuan (US$6.1 million) in the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei province. The court indicated that his sentence would be announced at a later date.
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