Gou Zhongwen, the former director of China's State General Administration of Sports, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over taking bribes and abusing power, state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday.
The death sentence will be reduced to life in prison unless Gou commits further crimes during the reprieve.
Most "death" sentences for corruption are of this reprieved kind, meaning its execution is delayed by the time stated. It's China's way of reducing use of the death penalty, as most often the convicted stays on good behaviour to have it reduced to prison time, even if lifetime.