Abstract: After decoupling reform, sports associations can operate as independent entities. They are granted to manage public affairs according to legal authorization or administrative trust, therefore, their staff are objects of supervision. Since exercise of public power is the core feature of supervisory object, the public power exercised by sports associations should be given limitation interpretation, for it is essentially a state public power exercised in the form of social public power. There are public power and autonomy “authorized by the state” within sports associations, and the boundary between them are in constant change. Since the identities of internal personnel are diverse and complex, the object of supervision should be defined while fully considering the particularity of sports associations. On the basis of clarifying the internal power boundary of sports associations, and according to the criteria of public power, post rights and responsibilities, and supervision of state-owned assets, the supervisory objects in sports associations can be divided into those who exercise public power in specific positions and those who are temporarily hired to exercise public power, including foreign personnel who substantially exercise public power.

Key words: decoupling reform, sports association, supervisory object, exercise of public power, standard system