Every four years at this time, when the world’s attention turns to the thrill of victory at the Summer Olympics, an old debate flares up again in China: the role of the market and the government in sport.

Zheng was the first Asian tennis player to receive the honour, but her path to success was different from that of almost every other Chinese athlete who competed in the Games. It was down to the support she received from her family rather than any state sponsorship. This was widely seen as the best proof that China can use market-driven means to develop world-class athletes.

“(It shows that) even without the support and shackles of the state system, one can live an epic life if one relies on the full development of one’s personal abilities, talents and potential,” said a user on the popular microblogging service Weibo.

China has a highly centralized national sports system in which governments at all levels have comprehensive control over virtually every link in the chain – from talent acquisition to training schedules to commercial promotion.

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“I just made history”: China’s Zheng hopes to have more fun playing tennis after winning Olympic gold

“I just made history”: China’s Zheng hopes to have more fun playing tennis after winning Olympic gold

However, the rigidity of such a state-controlled system runs counter to certain sports that have more extensive commercial networks worldwide, including tennis.

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China is airing a four-part series on anti-corruption on prime-time television

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Such cases show that incomplete commercialization of certain sports can open the door to corruption, says Li Wei, economics professor at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing.

The national sports system means that the government sets a specific sporting goal and then concentrates limited resources on the field to seek a competitive advantage, Li wrote in a column published on July 30 on the Caixin media platform.

And it is easier to achieve these goals in less competitive disciplines such as weightlifting than in more popular and competitive disciplines such as football and basketball, he added.

“In fact, both the national system and commercial sports have their own strengths,” Li said. “What we need to do now is to act according to the laws of sports, separate the national system from commercial sports… and operate differently for each.”

Football is a typical commercial sport and if it can be fully commercialized, it would have enormous commercial value in China, he said.

“Only by deregulating commercial sports, allowing the market to emerge where it should be and allocating resources can China develop from a major sports nation into a real sports power,” Li said.