Yuan Weimin, former China sports minister

No one expected Yuan Weimin, the former China sports minister, to make a big stir after his retirement.

However, the former president of the General Administration of Sport of China, shocked all and sundry with his autobiography: Yuan and China Sports. Stunningly, he revealed many taboo stories.

For example, he confessed his knowledge of the doping issue regarding "Ma's Army", a group of women long-distance runners from Liaoning, and the match-fixing scandals involving the country's women's volleyball team at the 2001 World Championships and the China soccer league in 2004.