China's Olympic Diving Gold Medalist Quan Hongchan Cyberbullied, State Media Calls Details Chilling
Chinese Olympic diving gold medalist Quan Hongchan has been subjected to cyberbullying, with state media reporting chilling details. She was reportedly targeted in a WeChat group called 'Splash Conquerors Alliance,' leading to the Guangdong Provincial Ersha Sports Training Center filing a police report and vowing legal action.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 11:55
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 13:00 (1h 5m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 08:00 (258h 59m after Collected)
Quan Hongchan, born in 2007, won an Olympic diving gold medal at the age of 14 and secured two more Olympic gold medals in 2024, making her the youngest triple gold medalist in Chinese Olympic history, known as a "diving prodigy."
However, behind the glory, Quan Hongchan broke down in tears during an interview with "Renwu" (People) magazine in late March this year, discussing her weight issues and being cyberbullied. She pleaded, "Please stop scolding me."
It is rumored that a WeChat group named "Splash Conquerors Alliance" has been maliciously insulting Quan Hongchan for a long time. Members of the group allegedly include Quan Hongchan's national team teammates, diving journalists, and judges, but this information has not been officially confirmed or clarified by relevant parties.
The Guangdong Provincial Ersha Sports Training Center, where Quan Hongchan trains, announced on the 8th that it had reported the incident to the police and would resolutely pursue the cyberbullies' legal responsibility through legal channels. The China National Sports General Administration's Swimming and Diving Management Center subsequently issued a statement, expressing firm support for safeguarding athletes' legitimate rights and interests through legal means and resolutely resisting the erosion of abnormal "fan circle" culture.
"Jiancha Daily" (Procuratorial Daily), sponsored by China's Supreme People's Procuratorate, published an article today, citing media reports that the cyberbullying incident involving Quan Hongchan might involve a WeChat group of over 200 people. The group's announcement explicitly stated, "Attacking other athletes is prohibited (except Quan Hongchan)," and insulting nicknames and personal attacks against Quan Hongchan were common within the group.
The article stated, "This detail is chilling," and pointed out that from a legal perspective, a WeChat group composed of unspecified individuals has the attributes of a public space. If group members publish insulting, defamatory, slandering, or disparaging remarks against others in such a WeChat group, it may constitute an infringement of reputation rights and should bear legal responsibility.
The article also stated that according to Chinese regulations, online group administrators have management responsibilities over group members. If an investigation confirms that group members in the WeChat group published inappropriate remarks infringing upon others' legitimate rights and interests or public interests, and the group administrator failed to fulfill their management responsibilities, they should also bear corresponding infringement liability. If the circumstances are serious, they may even face public security penalties or criminal liability.
The article concluded that this cyberbullying incident exposes the erosion of the sports ecosystem by the abnormal "fan circle" culture; it is believed that with the intervention of relevant departments, the cyberbullying incident against Quan Hongchan will soon have a resolution.
Quan Hongchan's tears attracted much attention. "Daily Economic News" commented on the 8th: "Quan Hongchan owes no one a gold medal, nor does she owe anyone a 'perfect persona.' She has the right to gain weight, to make mistakes, to feel down, to be an ordinary 19-year-old girl, and even more so, the right to refuse any form of cyberbullying."
"People's Daily Online" criticized the out-of-control phenomenon of "fan circle culture" in sports, including: instigating conflicts and black-and-white opposition and abuse within venues, besieging and harassing outside venues, frantically digging into privacy, fabricating rumors, and maliciously attacking personal dignity. (Edited by: Chang Shu-ling/Chou Hui-ying) 1150409
However, behind the glory, Quan Hongchan broke down in tears during an interview with "Renwu" (People) magazine in late March this year, discussing her weight issues and being cyberbullied. She pleaded, "Please stop scolding me."
It is rumored that a WeChat group named "Splash Conquerors Alliance" has been maliciously insulting Quan Hongchan for a long time. Members of the group allegedly include Quan Hongchan's national team teammates, diving journalists, and judges, but this information has not been officially confirmed or clarified by relevant parties.
The Guangdong Provincial Ersha Sports Training Center, where Quan Hongchan trains, announced on the 8th that it had reported the incident to the police and would resolutely pursue the cyberbullies' legal responsibility through legal channels. The China National Sports General Administration's Swimming and Diving Management Center subsequently issued a statement, expressing firm support for safeguarding athletes' legitimate rights and interests through legal means and resolutely resisting the erosion of abnormal "fan circle" culture.
"Jiancha Daily" (Procuratorial Daily), sponsored by China's Supreme People's Procuratorate, published an article today, citing media reports that the cyberbullying incident involving Quan Hongchan might involve a WeChat group of over 200 people. The group's announcement explicitly stated, "Attacking other athletes is prohibited (except Quan Hongchan)," and insulting nicknames and personal attacks against Quan Hongchan were common within the group.
The article stated, "This detail is chilling," and pointed out that from a legal perspective, a WeChat group composed of unspecified individuals has the attributes of a public space. If group members publish insulting, defamatory, slandering, or disparaging remarks against others in such a WeChat group, it may constitute an infringement of reputation rights and should bear legal responsibility.
The article also stated that according to Chinese regulations, online group administrators have management responsibilities over group members. If an investigation confirms that group members in the WeChat group published inappropriate remarks infringing upon others' legitimate rights and interests or public interests, and the group administrator failed to fulfill their management responsibilities, they should also bear corresponding infringement liability. If the circumstances are serious, they may even face public security penalties or criminal liability.
The article concluded that this cyberbullying incident exposes the erosion of the sports ecosystem by the abnormal "fan circle" culture; it is believed that with the intervention of relevant departments, the cyberbullying incident against Quan Hongchan will soon have a resolution.
Quan Hongchan's tears attracted much attention. "Daily Economic News" commented on the 8th: "Quan Hongchan owes no one a gold medal, nor does she owe anyone a 'perfect persona.' She has the right to gain weight, to make mistakes, to feel down, to be an ordinary 19-year-old girl, and even more so, the right to refuse any form of cyberbullying."
"People's Daily Online" criticized the out-of-control phenomenon of "fan circle culture" in sports, including: instigating conflicts and black-and-white opposition and abuse within venues, besieging and harassing outside venues, frantically digging into privacy, fabricating rumors, and maliciously attacking personal dignity. (Edited by: Chang Shu-ling/Chou Hui-ying) 1150409