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Ada Li

Chinese swimming authorities have launched an investigation into cyberbullying targeting three-time Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, including by a group that included some of her own national teammates.
The authorities have also reported the matter to the police.
The move comes after Quan revealed in a recent interview that sustained online abuse over her physique had left her with “resistance and dissatisfaction” towards her body and pushed her to consider retirement.
Quan, who won her first gold at Tokyo 2020 at the age of 14 and two more at the 2024 Paris Games, discussed the toxic online commentary about her weight and the immense pressure she has felt to diet, even though she was already eating very little.
In a show of support for the 19-year-old, the Guangdong Ersha Sports Training Centre, Quan’s provincial team, issued a statement titled “Say resolute ‘no’ to toxic fandom culture” on Wednesday, condemning the attacks on the diver and confirming it had reported the matter to police.

“Quan Hongchan, as a young athlete who has won honour for the country, has endured undue public pressure and psychological harm during her development. We express serious concern and firmly oppose this,” the centre said in its statement.
“Any malicious slander, insults or dissemination of false information targeting athletes and their families has crossed legal and moral boundaries.”
The statement added it would support Quan in pursuing legal action and called on fans to “return attention to sport itself, not athletes’ bodies, families or personal lives”.
The General Administration of Sport of China’s Swimming Sports Management Centre, which oversees the national diving team, also released a statement, saying it had launched a joint investigation with Guangdong Sport authority into cyberbullying, malicious attacks and misinformation of diving athletes, including Quan.
“Recently cyberbullying, malicious attacks and false information targeting Quan Hongchan and other divers have emerged online,” the centre said in a statement.
“Our centre takes this very seriously and immediately launched verification and handling work,” it said, adding that it was working with officials in the southern province of Guangdong, where Quan is from.
“We firmly support using legal means to protect athletes’ legitimate rights and interests, and resolutely resist the erosion of toxic fandom culture. Anyone involved, once verified, will be dealt with seriously without leniency,” the statement said.
Earlier this month, screenshots were shared online from the WeChat group Diving Together, where members had outlined certain rules to abide by, including “no personal attacks – except on Quan Hongchan” and “freely curse Quan Hongchan to death”.
The group’s 282 members included several figures from the diving industry, including Quan’s national teammates, a diving judge and a diving reporter.
The screenshots sparked widespread outrage on Chinese social media and the group’s administrator reportedly removed the athletes immediately after the scandal broke, and now the group has been deleted.

Following the two statements, the topic “Quan has reported to police” surged to the top of Weibo’s trending list, alongside related hashtags such as “Thoroughly investigate who is attacking Quan” and “Group admin’s tolerance of abuse is illegal”.
“How can Quan, who earned glory for our country, still be cyberbullied?” one user asked.
Another wrote: “It is hard to imagine someone would cyberbully such an excellent athlete. Support Quan using legal means to protect her rights.”
Under a related post by state-owned Xinhua News Agency, comments describing the abuse as “not just toxic fan culture, but internal bullying” garnered more than 135,000 likes.
Attention also turned to whether deleted chat records could be recovered for the investigation.
One diving fan who discovered she was a member of the “Diving Together” group wrote: “I was shocked to find I was in the group – I had not noticed before.”
Fellow users urged her to preserve the evidence, replying “Please do not delete the chat records” and “Could you save them and send them to the police? That’s crucial evidence”.
There has been no official response from any of the individuals or bodies allegedly involved.


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Diver Quan Hongchan won two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games, adding to her first gold at Tokyo 2020, when she was 14. Photo: Reuters

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Investigation comes after Olympic champion reveals she had sustained online abuse, including from group that reportedly includes teammates


Investigation comes after Olympic champion reveals she had sustained online abuse, including from group that reportedly includes teammates.


Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Quan Hongchan

Chinese authorities investigating ‘malicious’ cyberbullying of diving star Quan Hongchan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Investigation comes after Olympic champion reveals she had sustained online abuse, including from group that reportedly includes teammates

Investigation comes after Olympic champion reveals she had sustained online abuse, including from group that reportedly includes teammates