A Chinese court on Monday handed down a death sentence, suspended for two years, to Gou Zhongwen, the former chief of the nation’s General Administration of Sport, after finding him guilty of corruption and bribery.
The verdict, announced by the court, signals the continued relentless reach of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive, particularly within the sensitive sports sector which has seen multiple high-profile detentions in recent years.
Gou, who was also the former head of the Chinese Olympic Committee, was convicted of “taking an extremely large amount of money and valuables” over a sustained period. Court filings reveal that the illicit payments were received in exchange for helping individuals secure promotions, project approvals, and other favors.
Under Chinese judicial practice, a suspended death sentence is commonly commuted to life imprisonment after the initial two-year reprieve, provided the individual demonstrates good behavior in custody. In addition to the principal sentence, the court ordered that all of the former sports administrator’s personal property be confiscated.
The conviction follows Gou’s expulsion from the ruling Communist Party earlier this year after an internal investigation concluded he had committed “serious violations of discipline and law.” The ruling closes the chapter on one of the most prominent graft cases involving a high-ranking official overseeing China’s major international sporting ambitions.
