Abstract: Hidden rules are the challenges to the credibility of sports competitions and they affect the stability of sports order. This study puts forward the concept of hidden rules in sports competitions, and lists the four typical sports competition rules - the home (host) tendency, power-money trade, fake match, corporal punishment. It further analyzes from the following aspects: the tolerance of hidden rules, the extensiveness of the subject, the diversity of type, the complexity and difficulty of governance. It is suggested in the paper that hidden rules can be governed by strengthening the censorship of the competition rules, revising the defect rules, improving the transparency of sports organizations, introducing media involvement in the governess, speeding up the democratic process of sports organizations and introducing law procedures into the governess process.

Key words: sports competition, hidden rules, governance