China police detain and fine man behind cyberbullying of Olympian Quan Hongchan
31-year-old surnamed Xu given 10 days’ detention and fined by police over his role in repeated harassment of teenager
Police in southern China have detained and fined a man accused of the systematic cyberbullying of triple Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, state media reported on Friday.
The 19-year-old, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 when she was just 14 before winning two more golds in Paris in 2024, has become one of China’s most popular athletes.
But Quan has been the subject of repeated harassment online, with her weight a frequent target for comments.
Police in the Yuexiu district of Guangzhou city said that a 31-year-old, surnamed Xu, had “repeatedly made insulting remarks about an athlete from the Ersha Sport Training Centre” in WeChat, which had “caused a bad influence”.
Xu reportedly created a group called Splash Conquerors Alliance on the social messaging platform, and, among other things, had a rule that stated, “no attacking other athletes (except Quan Hongchan)”.
According to state media, Xu repeatedly posted insulting remarks by changing his username to ones like “Quan Fat Pig”.