On December 30, two staff members of the judicial system in Hebi City, Henan Province confirmed to reporters that Duan Xuan, a former well-known host and football commentator, was prosecuted by the Shancheng District Procuratorate of Hebi City to the Shancheng District Court on suspicion of bribery.
It is reported that Duan Xuan was found by the court to have bribed Liu Aijie, the then director of the Olympic Preparation Office of the State Sports General Administration, the chairman of the Chinese Rowing Association, and the chairman of the Chinese Canoeing Association, in cash in RMB, US dollars, and euros from 2018 to 2020. The total amount exceeds RMB 9.5 million.
Liu Aijie himself was sentenced to 11 years in prison and a fine of 2 million yuan by the Intermediate People's Court of Hebi City, Henan Province this month for accepting bribes. Liu Aijie "pleaded guilty and accepted punishment."
As for Duan Xuan, on December 29, the spokesperson of the Shancheng District Court of Hebi City responded to reporters that the trial and judgment of Duan Xuan’s case “involves the secrets of the trial work, and it is inconvenient to inform”.
Duan Xuan was once a "famous speaker" on sports programs
In 2015, he left his job to join Wang Sicong's company
Duan Xuan, who was born in July 1972, studied at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute (today's Communication University of China). After graduating in 1995, he joined CCTV and became a sports reporter. Since 2000, Duan Xuan has hosted the "World Football" column. During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Duan Xuan served as the commentator for CCTV broadcasts.
At the end of 2015, Duan Xuan resigned from CCTV and joined Wang Sicong's "Banana Sports". In Banana Sports, Wang Sicong directly holds 20% of the shares and indirectly holds 41.1% of the shares through Shanghai Banana Plan Culture Development Co., Ltd., making him the actual controller of Banana Sports. Duan Xuan is the legal representative, chairman and general manager of Banana Sports Company, and holds 20% of the shares.
Since then, Banana Sports has made efforts in the ice and snow field. Duan Xuan has developed a close relationship with Liu Aijie and has provided benefits to the latter many times.
Duan Xuan was reported to have lost contact this year and was investigated for bribing sports officials.
On the afternoon of October 14 this year, the #exposure of well-known media figure Duan Xuan missing # reached the top of the hot search list.
At that time, Duan Xuan had disappeared from public view for several months. The last update on his Weibo was on the afternoon of April 18, 2023.
People familiar with the matter revealed that Duan Xuan was accused of bribing Liu Aijie, the former director of the Olympic Preparation Office, in order to obtain related benefits from undertaking cross-sport and cross-border talent selection in preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
As early as April 4, 2023, the Supervision Team of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the General Administration of Sports announced that Liu Aijie, the former chairman of the Chinese Rowing Association and Canoeing Association, was under review and investigation.
Who is Liu Aijie?
In the 1990s, Liu Aijie entered the then National Sports Commission (renamed the State Sports General Administration in 1998). In June 2001, Liu Aijie was appointed as the director of the third department of the Water Sports Management Center of the State Sports General Administration; in August 2005, he was promoted to the deputy director of the Water Sports Management Center. In December 2011, Liu Aijie was transferred to the position of deputy director of the Competitive Sports Department of the State Sports General Administration, and in 2017, he served as director of the Olympic Games Preparation Office of the State Sports General Administration. From December 2017 to December 2022, Liu Aijie served as the chairman of the Chinese Rowing Association and the chairman of the Chinese Canoeing Association.
The Hebi Intermediate People's Court found that: between 2018 and 2020, Duan Xuan and others found that between 2018 and 2020, Banana Sports Company contracted "cross-border" and "cross-sport" selection and selection intermediary services in preparation for the Olympics, and the allocation of contract approval funds. Liu Aijie asked for help, and Liu Aijie agreed.
The testimony of Duan Xuan and Yang Guang, who has served as director and supervisor of Banana Sports Company, and others stated that Banana Sports Company undertook "cross-border" and "cross-sport" selection and talent agency services in preparation for the Olympics. Banana Sports also recommended and facilitated the signing of 15 external training contracts to the Olympic Games Preparation Office of the State Sports General Administration.
The above-mentioned projects have made Banana Sports a profit of approximately 30 million yuan.
In order to express his gratitude to Liu Aijie, Duan Xuan bribed Liu many times by providing cash or transferring money to Liu Aijie's wife Zhang Xiuyun. The Intermediate People's Court of Hebi City, Henan Province, which was responsible for the first instance of Liu Aijie's bribery case, held that, together with the aforementioned approximately 801 Duan Xuan, the legal representative of Banana Sports Company, gave Liu Aijie a total bribe of approximately 9.51 million yuan.
source | Guangzhou Daily comprehensive
