China authorities probe ‘national-level bullying’ of diving icon Quan Hongchan amid toxic fan culture

Malicious and hateful online attacks on China’s diving queen Quan Hongchan, including one which likened her to a “pig”, will form part of a major investigation into an organised cyberbullying campaign against the Olympic athlete.Other hurtful attacks said the gold medal winner “looks like a man” and even questioned her right to be a champion, saying she only won because “the judges were biased”.Another online bully said Quan looked “countrified” while others called on her to “retire early”.The wave of nasty online comments is said to have been on a “national level”.An emotional Quan Hongchan hugs her coach Chen Ruolin after winning the women’s 10m platform event at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Photo: XinhuaThey have prompted both the Ersha Sports Training Centre in southern China’s Guangdong province, where Quan trains, and the China" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="105320" data-entity-type="organization">Swimming Management Centre of General Administration of Sport of China, to issue statements on the matter.They detailed how they would tackle “malicious” online bullying that Quan and her family have faced for the past four years.