Chinese chess champion dethroned, stripped of prize money
Yan Chenglong (right) wins the champion of the 2023 National Chinese Chess King Competition held in Lingshui, Hainan Province, from December 15 to 17, 2023.
The 2023 National Chinese Chess King Competition champion Yan Chenglong has been banned from competing for one year, and his championship title and prize money have been revoked due to his inappropriate behavior after the final, which sparked negative public opinion, the Chinese Xiangqi Association announced on Tuesday.
Yan, a registered athlete of central China's Henan Province, won the championship at the final of the 2023 National Chinese Chess King Competition held in Lingshui, south China's Hainan Province, from December 15 to 17.
After the final, Yan drank with others in a hotel room on the night of December 17. On December 18, he excreted in the bathtub of his hotel room, which damaged the hotel's public property and violated public order and morals, the association said, adding that his behavior harmed the competition.
According to the disciplinary rules and punishment regulations of the Chinese Xiangqi Association, all the awards Yan received during the competition will be revoked, the prize money will not be awarded, and he will also be banned for one year.
The Chinese Xiangqi Association also said that there is no evidence to prove that the disgraced champion engaged in cheating using an "anal bead."
Previously, some self-media accounts speculated that Yan cheated during the competition by using a smart bead hidden in his anus that could send and receive messages.
