China’s top anti-corruption body said on Wednesday it was investigating the head of the country’s badminton association for “serious violations of discipline and law”.

Olympic gold medallist Zhang Jun, chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) and vice president of the Nanjing Sport Institute, has been placed “under disciplinary review”, it said on its website.

Jun is also being investigated by the Nantong Municipal Supervisory Commission in eastern Jiangsu province, the statement added.

The statement by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission did not give details on why Zhang was being probed but said he was “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law”—a phrase commonly used in China when referring to corruption.

Since coming to power, President Xi Jinping has pushed to root out graft—an effort that has intensified in recent months.

Zhang Youxia, a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC)—China’s top military body headed by Xi—and a member of the Politburo, was placed under investigation in January.

Another Politburo official, Ma Xingrui, was probed too, Chinese state media reported in April.

Badminton chief Zhang Jun won two Olympic badminton mixed doubles gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games.

He joined the national team’s coaching staff after he retired in 2007, before becoming the CBA’s president in 2019.

Rumours had swirled when Zhang was not seen recently, with the hashtag “Badminton Association Chairman Zhang Jun Missing” garnering more than 55 million views on Weibo.

Published on Apr 29, 2026