After the exposure of the bullying incident involving Chinese Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, the Yuexiu Branch of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau reported on April 10 that a 31-year-old man who created a WeChat group to make insulting remarks about Quan Hongchan has been administratively detained for 10 days. The police report has raised questions among the public.
The report stated that 31-year-old Xu, a “diving enthusiast,” changed his nickname within the WeChat group he created and made multiple insulting remarks about a athlete at the Ersha Sports Training Center (Quan Hongchan), causing a negative impact. Currently, the police have administratively detained him for 10 days and have taken action against other individuals in the group.
The police report sparked questioning among netizens. Many expressed their disbelief, questioning how someone with such negative energy could attract high-profile individuals to join the group. Users commented, “What kind of enthusiast is this? How did they manage to bring in such heavyweight figures into the group? Was it through friends’ invitation or face-to-face invitation?” “The onlookers and participants in the bullying incident in the industry are not mentioned. When it comes to the fan circle issue, is only the surface mentioned?” “Indeed, light punishment, randomly picking out one person, while the others hide.” “Just detention is far from enough. Will this individual be removed from their position once they are released?”
“This is not just about cyberbullying. The group chat contains a significant amount of information, revealing workplace bullying, which is the focal point that has sparked public outrage.” “No matter how much investigation is done, the big fish always slip through the net and manage to create gaps in the system!” “The entertainment industry is no different, with most fan circle conflicts orchestrated by hidden forces.” “Only by publicly revealing their identities can we truly intimidate them.”
Some netizens have also called for “participants in the group to publicly apologize.”
On the evening of April 10, the related topic surged to the top of the trending list on Weibo.
Recently, the contents of a WeChat group chat named “Water Splashing Conquest Alliance” were exposed, filled with a large number of attacks and insults towards Quan Hongchan, even openly encouraging members to “insult Quan Hongchan as much as they want, go all out.” The group members include diving industry professionals, referees, CCTV sports reporters, totaling 282 people, and active/retired diving athletes like Quan Hongchan’s partner Chen Yuxi, diver Chen Yiwu, and Chang Yani.
According to a disclosure by Weibo influencer “Liu Xiaoying,” a diver from the Macau diving team joined the group and left immediately after witnessing the content, subsequently becoming the target. The other related individuals remained silent, with no one stepping in to stop the situation.
On April 8, the Ersha Sports Training Center where Quan Hongchan is affiliated issued a statement on their official WeChat account, stating that they have reported the incident of Quan Hongchan being cyberbullied to the public security authorities.
Earlier, during an interview with “People” magazine on March 30, Quan Hongchan revealed that she faced immense pressure due to weight gain during her developmental period and felt extremely fearful facing the camera. She expressed her wish for those attacking her to stop and not to target her family and friends, as they would distance themselves from her. When talking about her sadness, Quan Hongchan choked up and shed tears, revealing that she had considered retiring but ultimately decided to persevere.
Following the escalation of the incident, the administrator of the aforementioned WeChat group disbanded the group overnight, with no response from any members to date.
Previously reported:
Olympic champion Quan Hongchan reveals weight anxiety, responds to retirement talks
Quan Hongchan subject to long-term collective bullying, triggering public outrage, swimming center where she trains reports to the police