Guangzhou woman detained for defaming national athletes and coach on social media

Chinese player Chen Meng (right) and Sun Yingsha embrace after the match at the women's singles table tennis final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 3, 2024. Photo: VCG

A 38-year-old woman from Guangzhou, the capital of South China's Guangdong Province, has been detained for repeatedly "insulting and defaming" Chinese athletes and coaches on social media, according to a statement released by local police on Sina Weibo, China's X-like platform, on Tuesday morning.

According to the statement, Wang has been posting derogatory comments since May 2024. "Her actions have been deemed disruptive to online order and publicly insulting," said the statement.

This incident follows a similar case involving a 29-year-old woman from Beijing, who was detained after posting defamatory remarks about Chinese table tennis athletes and coaches on Weibo, following the women's singles final at the Paris Olympics. 

The match, which featured Chen Meng against Sun Yingsha, saw some fans displaying favoritism toward Sun while booing Chen.

On August 4, Weibo announced it had taken action against more than 300 accounts involved in malicious attacks and inciting arguments, imposing temporary or permanent bans depending on the severity of the violations. Besides, over 12,000 instances of violating content have been removed.

During an interview on August 7, after China advanced to the semifinals of the women's table tennis team event, Chen had urged fans to appreciate the athletes' determination and approach competition outcomes with a balanced perspective, rather than focusing solely on the results.

Global Times