What’s new: The Communist Party chief of Beijing Sport University (BSU) is under investigation for corruption, the country’s top graft busters said Friday, as China deepens its crackdown on the sports sector.
Cao Weidong, who has been the school’s party secretary for nearly seven years, is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law” — a common euphemism for corruption, according to a statement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).
The CCDI’s team stationed at the General Administration of Sport (GAS) and the supervisory commission of Changchun in the northeastern province of Jilin are conducting the investigation into Cao, the statement said.
The background: During his time as BSU party chief, Cao has also held several senior positions within GAS, including director of its sports officials training center, dean of the school of coaches and vice president of the administration’s Party School.
Cao, 55, had no sports-related professional experience prior to joining BSU in 2017. With a bachelor’s degree in German from Peking University and a doctorate in literature, he previously served as vice president of Beijing Normal University and president of Beijing International Studies University.
The Jiangsu province native also studied at the sociology department of Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany from 1999 to 2000.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
