China badminton chief vows corruption crackdown

China's new badminton chief Zhang Xin vowed Tuesday to fight corruption after being named president of the Chinese Badminton Association, following investigations into two senior figures in the sport.

The association said Zhang Xin, an official from China's General Administration of Sport, will be its new president. He replaces Zhang Jun, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who was accused in April of “serious violations of discipline and law” and has not been seen in months.

Zhang Xin said the association would “resolutely see through the fight against corruption, drawing lessons from previous cases”. He warned that people should “not dare to be corrupt, not be corrupt and not want to be corrupt”.

The association also removed vice-president Xia Xuanze from his post on Tuesday. Xia, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2000, was placed under investigation in August on suspicion of “serious violations of the law”.

China is a major badminton power and has regularly been the most successful country in the sport at the Olympics. The anti-corruption drive under Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended into sport.