Sports official being probed for online posts

The General Administration of Sport announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into one of its officials following a wave of public outrage over a series of controversial and allegedly unpatriotic remarks made on his personal social media account.

China Sports Daily quoted an administration official as saying it had noticed online discussions questioning "inappropriate remarks "made by the official, surnamed Yuan, on his personal social media account, adding that it promptly initiated an investigation.

The official emphasized that cyberspace is not beyond the reach of the law, noting that the sport administration strictly manages and supervises the behavior of its Party members and officials, and will sternly deal with any violations of Party discipline and State laws, showing no leniency.

Yuan, who has attracted widespread attention online, has been identified by netizens as Yuan Haoran, the deputy director of the administration's center for cycling and fencing.

On his personal Sina Weibo micro-blog account, where he goes by the handle "Mixed Swimming", Yuan posted numerous controversial remarks, some of which allegedly contained unpatriotic sentiments, sparking extensive anger and criticism among netizens.

According to widely circulated screenshots, in June 2012, when the Shenzhou IX spacecraft carrying three astronauts was successfully launched, Yuan likened the spacecraft to a pressure cooker launched by firecrackers and called the three astronauts "fools".

In August 2022, he posted a comment on military exercises conducted by the People's Liberation Army around Taiwan island in response to then-United States House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. He wrote, "Let me tell you a joke", accompanied by five laughing/crying emojis and a map of the military exercises.

His Weibo account is currently inaccessible as his home page shows he has applied to close his account.

Additionally, the home page displays a notice from the Weibo platform indicating that the user has been muted for violating laws and regulations.

A large number of netizens have expressed their dissatisfaction and anger on Weibo.

Some said they had reported Yuan to China's disciplinary inspection authorities.

A commentary published in Beijing Daily on Tuesday said that Yuan's remarks were shocking.

"Even if he were an ordinary netizen, let alone a sports official, he should not be so reckless," it said.

The commentary noted that while government officials and ordinary citizens have the right to express their opinions on public platforms, Yuan's remarks completely disregarded the qualities and values he should uphold, hurting the public's feelings in relation to sports and national pride.