Soccer commentator’s death creates a stir

A high-profile soccer commentator with China Central Television was found dead at a hotel on Tuesday, arousing attention on the Internet and among the public.

Police in Jinan, capital of East China’s Shandong province, published a micro blog via Sina Weibo, Chinese largest twitter-like provider, on Tuesday morning, saying Tao Wei, a well-known soccer commentator for CCTV, suffered a sudden cardiac death at Nishi Haitai Hotel on Monday’s earlier morning. Tao drove from Beijing to Qingdao with three friends on Sunday and checked into the hotel because of a traffic jam that afternoon, according to Jinan Public Security Bureau.

“Tao had dinner with his friends on Sunday and drank till midnight,” said Meng Qingshan, deputy director of Licheng sub-bureau under Jinan public security bureau, adding that Tao and his friends each had their own rooms.

Meng told China Daily that Tao’s friends called him after they came back to their rooms and told Tao to meet them for breakfast at 8 am on Tuesday.

But Tao did not show up for breakfast.

After asking a hotel employee to open his room, Tao’s friends found him unconscious on the bed and called police, according to Meng, adding the police.

Police arrived at the hotel around 9 am.

“We didn’t find anything abnormal in Tao’s room,” Meng said. “The alcohol content of Tao’s blood was 77 mg per 100 ml and he had no injuries.”

Tao’s wife and sister arrived in Jinan on Monday afternoon and did not dispute the cause of Tao’s death, the senior police officer said.

A spokesman for the Jinan Public Security Bureau surnamed Li, who did not give his full name, told China Daily that police planned to perform an autopsy, but Tao’s family refused to allow one.

The soccer commentator’s death aroused great attention online after Jinan police wrote a micro blog at around 1 am on Monday, saying Tao was murdered in the hotel.

However, two hours later, the police deleted the blog.

“The micro blog was published by a technical officer responsible for Jinan police’s weibo, but he did not have a clear understanding about the accident at that time,” Li said.

Tao’s death might be related to his tiredness and drinking, “and his relatives also said Tao had trouble with heart”, Li said.

Tao’s heart issues were also mentioned on the micro blog of Dong Lu, another Chinese famous soccer commentator. Dong said Tao used to have bradycardia and also had a medical check on his heart at the beginning of this year.

Zhang Lu, who once worked a game with Tao at CCTV, said he was shocked by the news of Tao’s death. “I’m fond of Tao’s commentary style, and his comments about the European Cup in June were still in my mind,” said Yin Qiming, a soccer fan in Shanghai.

Tao, 42, worked for a Beijing soccer team in the 1980s and became a commentator after retired in the 1990s.