A Chinese citizen in Beijing, whose name has not been fully disclosed, has reportedly been arrested by authorities for allegedly making “defamatory claims” regarding Chinese Olympic athletes.
According to a report from Breitbart, “Police in the Daxing district of Beijing said on Tuesday that they made the bust in response to ‘reports from the public’ about ‘some internet users’ making defamatory comments after the women’s singles table tennis final on August 3.”
The Daxing Public Security Bureau announced that a suspect was detained for maliciously fabricating information and defaming others, causing adverse societal impact. While the authorities did not specify the details of the alleged offense, Radio Free Asia speculated that the individual was likely arrested for spreading rumors on Chinese social media about one or both of China’s female table tennis champions being involved in a relationship with their coach.
On August 3, Chinese table tennis champion Chen Meng faced off against her teammate Sun Yingsha, ultimately winning the match 4-2 and successfully defending her gold medal with the same score as their Tokyo Olympics encounter. Despite being the higher-ranked player in 2024, the 23-year-old Sun was defeated by 30-year-old Chen, who enjoyed the victory as an underdog.
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“This gold medal feels more valuable. In Tokyo, I was at the peak of my career, but in the past few years I’ve suffered a lot of losses and injuries,” Chen said after walking out victorious.
“I don’t know if this is going to be my last Olympics, so I want to cherish the opportunity as best as I can,” she added.
Chen Meng, uncertain if this would be her last Olympics, expressed a desire to cherish the experience and showed sportsmanship by consoling her opponent Sun Yingsha with a hug after their match. However, this spirit was marred by the crowd’s hostility, as spectators in Paris booed Chen each time she scored, with one even flipping her off. Rumors circulated that Chinese Communist Party leaders had supposedly predetermined Sun as the winner, but Chen allegedly refused to throw the match, leading to frustration among some fans who suggested she should emigrate to a more deserving country.
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“This country, where food and drink are fake, votes in the Great Hall of the People are fake, and even sports events are staged isn’t worthy of her,” one of Chen’s fans said in one online forum.
Speculation that the match between Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha was fixed arose after a Chinese PR firm accidentally aired a video celebrating Sun as the winner before the match concluded, sparking outrage among fans.
Chen, who ultimately won, called for greater politeness and respect among fans, urging them to appreciate the athletes’ perseverance rather than focusing solely on victory. In response to the heated online debate, Chinese censors deleted over 12,000 posts and 300 accounts on Weibo, many of which spread defamatory rumors about the athletes.
The Ministry of Public Security has pledged to “severely crack down on chaotic sports-related fan” behavior.
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