This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
Following the infamous “defamatory” comments made by Chinese Olympia players following the women’s singles table tennis last in Paris on August 3 when Chinese fans booed reigning table tennis champ Chen Meng, a person has been arrested in Beijing.
According to reports from the general public that some web users had made disparaging comments about an athlete and a manager after the women’s singles table tennis last on Weibo, Beijing’s Daxing area police department immediately launched an investigation and detained a sexual suspect, 29 years old, surnamed He, in an update posted on its Weibo account on Tuesday.
According to the post,” Our investigation revealed that this man intentionally fabricated details and flagrantly defamed people, with a negative effect on society.”
According to the law, the DAXING Public Security Bureau has detained He, and the situation is being looked into more.
Some Weibo users guessed the arrest was connected to online allegations of an incorrect relationship between Chen and her coach despite the fact that police refused to provide specifics about the slanderous feedback.
Following the desk tennis match, the Chinese internet authorities said they would also be cracking down on “illegal actions” in virtual sports enthusiast groups.
” On the night of Aug. 3, after the women’s singles final of the Olympic stand golf, some users posted attacking and disparaging remarks”, according to a post on the site’s Weibo accounts. ” Among them, a netizen posted a blog at 2: 12 on Aug. 4 defaming an performer and a manager, causing severe social effect”.
Gendered stories
According to comments on the authorities article, female athletes are frequently the subject of sexualized rumors, especially regarding their relationships with those who train them.
Table tennis fans have been disparaging female players for a long time, according to @ UnBouquetDeSoleils, in reference to online stories about Chen and her coach. I hope the extraordinary fans who despise the law are dealt with appropriately so that athletes can develop in a great environment.
” It’s our duty to protect the common image of players”, wrote @Enter_the_cat_dimensionssss, while @_FlippedSun Rose_ added:” I hope the research is continue and get all those who spread stories”.
Some mentioned related stories around Chen’s player in the playoffs, Sun Yingsha, and one of her trainers, calling for the incarceration of anyone spreading them.
In the Aug. 3 match, China’s defending champion Chen Meng defeated teammate Sun Yingsha, also world No. In a replay of their previous encounter in Tokyo three years ago, there were audible boos for Sun and shouts of support for Chen, according to Reuters.
Many people were upset about the crowd’s behavior on social media because of it. According to reports, one fan in the arena allegedly demanded Chen’s middle finger, prompting them to also call Weibo for their arrest.
Weibo said it had deleted more than 12, 000 posts and banned more than 300 accounts over “illegal” comments, Reuters reported.
Other rumors circulated that Chen had defied Chen’s orders and refused to let Sun win the match.
During the Cultural Revolution, there was a claim that” this political arrangement where players were expected to let others win” existed. The champion would be whoever He Long wanted it to be, according to the former vice premier, He Long.
The user wrote that Chen should seek citizenship abroad like other former Chinese players, noting that” this country is n’t deserving of her” and that food and drink are fake, votes in the Great Hall of the People are fake, and even sports events are staged.
Rigged match?
A report in a news release from NetEase’s publication claimed Yili had prematurely broadcast a video celebrating Sun Yingsha’s gold medal on a public stage in Beijing’s Sanlitun district before the match was over, giving cred to this theory.
Yili had publicly apologized for the gaffe, claiming the video was part of a test to “debug” the screen, the article said.
According to online users, the incident made it seem like Chen was being rigged, but he had refused to do so.
RFA was unable to verify any of these claims independently.
Meanwhile, The Paper published a commentary slamming “extreme fan club behavior”, saying it was harmful to athletes and to sports in general.
Fan culture, according to U.S.-based journalist Li Dayu, is not harmful in itself, and it frequently serves as a platform for those who are subject to strict political censorship there.
” It might not be political, but it’s essentially the same thing”, he said. ” They ca n’t say what they want in the political arena, so they can only vent in the area of entertainment”.
” The Communist Party will see this, and will definitely crack down on fans, because they are decentralized”, Li said.
