On December 8, 2025, the Yancheng Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu Province sentenced Gou Zhongwen, the 68-year-old former director of China’s General Administration of Sport and ex-vice mayor of Beijing, to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes exceeding 236 million yuan ($33 million) and abusing power.

The court also stripped him of political rights for life, confiscated all personal property, and ordered illicit gains returned to the state. A separate five-year sentence for power abuse was merged. Between 2009 and 2024, Gou exploited positions to approve projects and provide business favors in exchange for bribes. The crimes were deemed “extremely severe” with significant social harm.

However, due to Gou’s confession, disclosure of undisclosed bribes, remorse, and full repayment, the death sentence is suspended; if no further offenses occur in two years, it will commute to life imprisonment without parole or reductions—a reflection of China’s strict anti-corruption stance under Xi Jinping.