The Chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association and two-time Olympic badminton mixed doubles champion, Zhang Jun, is under investigation. Reports earlier suggested that Zhang Jun had been out of contact for more than ten days, indicating a possible investigation.
On the afternoon of April 29, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the Communist Party of China announced that Zhang Jun, Chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association and Vice President of the Nanjing Sports Institute, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. He is currently undergoing disciplinary review by the discipline inspection and supervision team stationed at the General Administration of Sport of China and the supervision investigation by the Nantong City Supervisory Commission in Jiangsu Province.
On April 24, the “Economic Observer” reported that Zhang Jun had recently been “out of contact” and was suspected of being taken away for investigation by the discipline inspection department, with no contact with the outside world for over ten days.
According to sources cited in the report, the issues involving Zhang Jun are mainly related to his tenure at the Chinese Badminton Association and partly related to his work in Jiangsu. Following Zhang Jun’s “disappearance,” his close relatives had also inquired about his situation with the Jiangsu Sports Bureau.
On April 25, Chinese media discovered that the “School Leadership” page on the official website of the Nanjing Sports Institute had become blank.
Zhang Jun, born in November 1977 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is a sports master, and a national-level coach.
Zhang Jun entered Suzhou Youth Amateur Sports School in 1986, joined the Jiangsu Badminton Team in 1991, and the national second team in 1996. He partnered with Zhang Wei to win the men’s doubles championship at the Swiss Open in 1998, and won the crucial men’s doubles match with Yu Jinhao at the Sudirman Cup in 1999. Later, he formed a mixed doubles partnership with Gao Ling, winning the mixed doubles gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and another gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
After retiring in 2007, Zhang Jun served as assistant coach for the Chinese national women’s doubles badminton team, then became the head coach for men’s doubles and mixed doubles. In 2018, he became Vice Chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association and was re-elected as Chairman in January 2019, remaining in office until August 2023.
Additionally, Zhang Jun also holds the position of Vice President at the Nanjing Sports Institute.