HONG KONG, Jan 3 (Reuters) – In a significant development for China’s sporting landscape, the country this week inaugurated its first-ever national sports refereeing center in the bustling capital of Beijing. This major initiative aims to strengthen the legal framework to deal with sports disputes and protect the rights of athletes.
The creation is part of a broader strategy to professionalize and normalize the sport across the country, particularly in light of recent high-profile corruption scandals that have hit the popular sport of football.
Operating under the General Administration of Sports of China (GAS), the new center will oversee the daily activities of a national sports arbitration commission that was established in February 2023, according to the state-backed newspaper , Global Times.
Since its inception, the commission has handled approximately 100 cases affecting a variety of sports, including chess, football, ice hockey, field hockey, taekwondo and marathons.
The disputes involved various issues, such as athlete registration and transfers, compensation for youth training, disciplinary measures, eligibility for competitions and disputes over results, the report noted.
Describing the launch as a “landmark achievement” in the field of sports governance in China, Li Jing, a deputy director of the GAS, made remarks at the inauguration. “This initiative ensures order within the sports development sphere and strengthens the rule of law throughout the sector,” Li said.
With systemic corruption casting a shadow over domestic soccer, the sport is preparing to become a main focus of the new center’s efforts. Fans and critics have attributed the men’s national team’s poor performance to rampant corruption.
Last September, sports authorities in China imposed lifetime bans on 38 players and five officials after an exhaustive two-year investigation into issues of match manipulation and betting.
Further underscoring the seriousness of the situation, a former vice-president of the national football association received an 11-year prison sentence for corruption, while another former official was sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in similar behaviors.
Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
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