China's Sports Minister Tapped to Lead Olympic Committee

(ATR) Gou Zhongwen is replacing Liu Peng as president of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Zhongwen was appointed to the position at the COC general assembly on Dec. 28. Peng will continue on as the honorary chairman of the Olympic committee in recognition of his 11 years as president that included the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Zhongwen, 59, was also appointed to lead China’s General Administration of Sport as its general director in October. This appointment also ended Peng’s tenure as sports minister as the 65 year old politician nears the end of his career.

Zhongwen is the latest in a line of Chinese sports administrators to serve as both director general of the sports ministry and president of the COC. The tradition started with Wu Shaozu in 1995 who was followed by Yuan Weimin before Peng and now Zhongwen.

The COC’s new leader is also the deputy party secretary of Beijing. He serves as second-in-command to party secretary and Beijing’s chief administrator Guo Jinlong. Zhongwen became embedded in Beijing’s administration in 2008 when he was appointed as vice mayor.

His position within the city’s administration will likely prove useful as Beijing prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Zhongwen will face challenges navigating the troublesome pollution rates in Beijing and increasing winter sports participation during ongoing Olympic preparations. The Chinese capital is preparing to become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter editions of the Olympics.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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