After the National Games last year, China’s two-time Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan has not returned to the diving hall. On April 13, the Chinese diving team announced the lineup for the World Cup Finals, and Quan Hongchan was not included. “Quan Hongchan Absent from Diving World Cup Finals” trended on social media.
The 2026 FINA Diving World Cup Finals will be held at the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) from May 1st to 3rd. According to a WeChat public account “Chinese Swimming” on the 13th, the schedule and roster for the Chinese diving team were announced, with Quan Hongchan notably absent.
Reports from Chinese media indicate that due to injuries and adjustments in physical development, Quan Hongchan did not accumulate points by participating in this season’s World Cup circuit, thus not meeting the qualification criteria for the Finals as per FINA Diving World Cup rules, and it was not a voluntary withdrawal.
Recently, Quan Hongchan’s experience of online harassment has sparked public attention.
In an interview with Chinese media, the 19-year-old Quan Hongchan choked up in a video, publicly calling for an end to the attacks on her and her loved ones. She said, “Stop scolding me, don’t scold my family, don’t scold my friends, otherwise they will all stay away from me.” She openly admitted feeling fear and anxiety as soon as she entered the diving hall.
Within 24 hours of the interview’s release, screenshots of a private WeChat group conversation with 282 members named “Water Conquerors Alliance” went viral on platforms such as Weibo.
This incident quickly stirred up a storm on the Chinese internet, with the related topic gaining billions of reads.
Both the Guangdong Ertiao Sports Training Center where Quan Hongchan is based and the General Administration of Sport of China’s Swimming Management Center denounced the related “online violence, malicious attacks, and misinformation” on April 8 and reported it to the authorities.
According to official reports, a 31-year-old male named Xu created a diving “fan circle” WeChat group, amassing over 280 members in 3 years, to vent frustrations and express negativity, frequently changing aliases and posting insulting comments targeted at Quan Hongchan within the group.
Currently, Xu has been administratively detained for ten days and fined, with other individuals in the group also facing consequences.
Public records show that Quan Hongchan was born on March 28, 2007, and started learning diving at the age of 7, joined the Guangdong diving team at 11, and made it to the national team at 13.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the then 14-year-old Quan Hongchan won the gold medal in the women’s individual 10m platform diving event. At the Paris Olympics, she clinched two gold medals in the women’s 10m platform and women’s synchronized 10m platform, becoming the youngest Olympic triple champion.
In September 2025, Quan Hongchan enrolled as a freshman at Jinan University.
During the Lunar New Year, Quan Hongchan reunited with her parents and family in her hometown. From Chinese New Year’s Eve to the first day of the lunar new year, there were always a large number of visitors gathering outside her house, especially at night.
Regarding the attention she receives from many online users, Quan Hongchan’s mother told the media, “People come with good intentions, so I dare not say they are disturbing. But we don’t have time to entertain you all, thank you for caring so much about my daughter.”
As for the widely discussed retirement issue, Quan Hongchan’s mother mentioned, “I won’t interfere, it’s up to her.” She also revealed that her daughter had returned home many times this year, and the duration of her stay during this homecoming for the Lunar New Year didn’t matter much. “Whenever she decides to go out again, I don’t bother about these things,” she added.
Since the World Cup Finals last May, Quan Hongchan has not returned to the national team. In November last year, she returned to the National Games and won a team gold medal. When asked about whether she will continue diving in the future, she responded with a smile, “Let’s see.”