China demands transparent athlete selection

BEIJING, Jan 24 (Reuters) China's selection of athletes for next year's Beijing Olympics must be open and free of bribery or scandal, the country's top sports official has warned.

Sports ministry chief Liu Peng told an anti-corruption conference that selecting the best athletes to compete on home soil in August 2008 was one of the most important tasks in the run-up to the Games.

''The selection process must be open and fair. No cheating is allowed,'' he was quoted as saying in today's China Daily.

''The selection task is sensitive and related to different departments. Everything is in the media spotlight.

''Any bribery cases or scandals will undermine the image of Chinese sport.'' The squad selection for the 2004 Games hit controversy when Zhan Xugang, who had won weightlifting gold in the previous two Olympics, was chosen despite having been retired for two years.

He failed all his attempted lifts in Athens.

''We must be committed to selecting the best players for Olympic preparations,'' Liu said. ''Every department and administration centre must obey the rules. We will take cheating or bribery seriously and people who make mistakes will be harshly punished.'' Liu said the fight against disciplinary problems among athletes, doping, bribery in the venue construction process as well as abuse of sports lottery and charity funds would continue, the paper reported.

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