China's Deputy Minister of Sports and Vice President of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Xiao Tian, is facing corruption charges in his home country.

The Communist Party's Disciplinary Committee on Thursday revealed that Xiao is being investigated for his involvement in serious corruption cases, AP reported.

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The committee said Xiao is being put under investigation, but gave no further details about his crimes. Xiao was elected as one of the deputies of FIBA last September. He is also a member of the Chinese Olympic Committee and head of China's General Administration of Sports (GAS).

China is preparing to be a world sports powerhouse by spending a lot of funds on sports facilities, sports schools and many more. Experts say such high spending may open the room for corruption. Sports have been one of the main focal points in the war against corruption as many officials have been nabbed for match-fixing allegations.

The fact that Xiao's arrest closely follows the recent scandal involving FIFA officials and money laundering charges has been highlighted by some pundits. The world's basketball ruling body FIBA is yet to release a statement about Xiao's charges and whether it relates to his work with the organization.

China is set to host the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship between Sept. 23 and Oct. 3. In March, FIBA's Executive Committee confirmed that China also stands a chance to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup as the leading contenders are China and the Philippines, Rappler reported. Basketball is one of the favorite sports in China, next to football.

China has been waging a massive war against corruption since President Xi Jinping took the presidency in mid-2013. Many bureaucrats as well as officials in the government and the private sector have been nabbed for corrupt practices.

TagsXiao Tian, Xiao Tian FIBA, 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, 2019 FIBA World Cup