China arrests woman suspected of 'defaming' Olympic table tennis players

Weibo

07/08/2024 03:42

BEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Beijing police have arrested
a woman suspected of posting defamatory comments on social media
about Chinese athletes and coaches following the table tennis
women's singles final at the Paris Olympics, the police said.
    The suspect, a 29-year-old surnamed He, "maliciously
fabricated information and blatantly defamed others, resulting
in an adverse impact on society", the police at Daxing district
said in a statement late on Tuesday. 
    The case was being investigated, the police said, although
specific details about the defamatory comments were not
disclosed. 
    In the Aug. 3 match, China's defending champion Chen Meng
defeated teammate Sun Yingsha, also world No.1, 4-2, in a replay
of their previous encounter in Tokyo three years ago.
    Throughout the game, there were audible cheers for Sun and
boos directed at Chen whenever she scored, according to a
broadcast of the event.
    After the game, many people took to social media to
criticise the crowd's behaviour. 
    "If this kind of fan culture is allowed to permeate in
sports, it can ultimately undermine even the most talented
athletes, like Sun Yingsha," a user on Weibo said. 
    Weibo, China's popular X-like microblogging site, said it
had deleted over 12,000 posts and banned more than 300 accounts
over what it called  "illegal" comments. 
    Many people also took to social media to express their joy
and national pride after Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle smashed his
own 100 metres freestyle world record, even as China was plunged
backed into the doping spotlight after media reports that two
swimmers in 2022 had tested positive for a banned steroid. 

 (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Miral Fahmy)