Recently, a sudden incident occurred at the Second JinCheng National Professional Go Open Tournament in Shanxi, JinCheng, causing a large number of participating players to experience severe symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, leading to the postponement of the competition. Although the official report attributed the incident to a “Norovirus infection,” Chinese Go professional player Zhou Yuanjun posted detailed information challenging the official conclusion and demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the truth. This has sparked widespread concern about food safety and accountability for the incident.
On July 10, the Second JinCheng National Professional Go Open Tournament, jointly organized by the Chinese Go Association, the Shanxi Provincial Sports Bureau, and the JinCheng City Government, opened in Lingchuan County, JinCheng City. The first round of competition brought together 64 top Chinese professional Go players, including Yang Dingxin, Lian Xiao, Li Xuanhao, Dang Yifei, Shi Yue, Mi Yuting, Gu Zihao, and Tan Xiao. The event was originally planned to last for eight days, with the closing and award ceremony scheduled for July 17. The opening ceremony took place at the Fengcheng International Hotel in Lingchuan, JinCheng, with officials and guests present, including Chinese Go Association Chairman Chang Hao and JinCheng Deputy Mayor Huang Dengyu.
However, this highly anticipated top-level tournament unexpectedly turned into a “survival game,” with a large number of players experiencing collective symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and other illnesses. Some players were severely affected, feeling a lack of oxygen, and there were even rumors of players being admitted to the ICU. The competition had to be abruptly halted, and several players were hospitalized for treatment. The JinCheng National Professional Go Open Tournament Organizing Committee subsequently issued a situation report.
According to the report from the “Chinese Go Association” public account, on the morning of July 11, some participating players experienced symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea and were sent for medical treatment. The report stated that Norovirus was detected in samples of vomit, and the initial assessment concluded that the symptoms were due to Norovirus infection, with the subsequent games to be rescheduled.
On July 12, a staff member at the Fengcheng International Hotel stated that she had not seen the situation report mentioned, and the hotel would not be in operation until the 18th. A certain online booking platform showed that all room types at the hotel were marked as “fully booked” recently.
In response to the official “Norovirus” conclusion, participant Zhou Yuanjun, a Chinese Go athlete who had competed in the 2023 National Go Championship, posted an article questioning the incident under the title “JinCheng Cup National Top Tournament Suspended, Players Seek the Truth.” Although Zhou’s original post has been deleted, screenshots of his article have been widely circulated on social media platforms such as Weibo.
In his post, Zhou described how some players had already felt unwell on the first day of the competition on July 10. That night, a large number of players, including himself, experienced severe symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, “suffering from severe stomach pain, insomnia all night.” The next morning, they learned that it was a collective event.
He pointed out that the Organizing Committee had taken them to a small hospital in the county for intravenous therapy and hastily concluded that it was a “Norovirus infection.” However, after researching the information, Zhou believed that their symptoms did not align with a “Norovirus infection.” Upon returning to Hangzhou, he promptly underwent a Norovirus test at his own expense, which came back negative. He wrote, “The cold test report felt like a slap in the face, hitting against that lightly drawn (Norovirus) conclusion!”
Zhou questioned, “So what is the truth? What is the root cause of our severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea? Were the food ingredients provided during the competition safe? Was the operation process standardized? Who is trying to cover up what with that convincing ‘Norovirus’ report? Who is openly falsifying? Attempting to shift the responsibility of food safety onto a ‘virus.'”
He also expressed the significant trauma that the players had suffered mentally and physically, “How much effort did we players put in to advance from the qualifiers to the top 64? The intense pain our bodies endured, the immense panic mentally – because of that meticulously arranged ‘Norovirus’ conclusion, we dare not face our families as usual, nor work normally. Who will take responsibility for this invisible social rupture, psychological trauma, professional losses, and life interruptions?”
As a result, Zhou Yuanjun made clear demands to the JinCheng Cup Organizing Committee and relevant parties: immediately investigate the true cause of this collective foodborne illness; disclose food safety test reports; make public the entire process information of food procurement, processing, and supply; thoroughly investigate and hold accountable the source and individuals responsible for the “Norovirus” conclusion; publicly apologize to all players and compensate for medical expenses, loss of income, etc., resulting from this incident. He emphasized, “This is not just a simple discomfort; this is a severe violation of the safety and dignity of the players. I urge all those who care about the spirit of sports, the rights of athletes, and food safety to pay attention to this matter.”
Blogger “Yue Man Da Jiang Liu” pointed out that the fundamental reason for the collective physical discomfort incident of the players was the lack of concern from the organizers and the hotel towards the Chinese participants. The article argued that the 64 professional Go players participating in the JinCheng Cup represent the core strength of Chinese Go and are a valuable asset to the Chinese Go community, yet the hotel did not fulfill its food safety responsibility adequately.
The blogger also mentioned that from subsequent revelations, not only did participating players exhibit symptoms of food poisoning, but the hotel had received complaints from consumers about its food safety in the past, questioning the hotel’s failure to make effective improvements. The article further raised questions: with officials such as JinCheng Deputy Mayor Huang Dengyu present at the opening ceremony of the this year’s JinCheng Cup, why couldn’t they prevent the occurrence of this collective food poisoning incident? Does this expose a lack of supervision or numbness to consumer safety?
It is worth noting that Go superstar Ke Jie’s personal influence in mainland China has an extraordinary “popularity.” Previously, during the Hangzhou Asian Games, Ke Jie quickly trended due to a casual remark “mutton is too strong.” Although Ke Jie’s comment was harmless, it was deemed potentially affecting the Asian Games’ image, resulting in related videos and articles being urgently taken down, with Ke Jie himself swiftly deleting the video. This experience proves that as a public figure, Ke Jie’s remarks can cause significant public reactions.
The article by “Yue Man Da Jiang Liu” stated that in the current JinCheng Cup Go Tournament, Ke Jie also participated and experienced symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, so this health crisis in the competition will undoubtedly surge to the national headlines. When combined with recent public concerns like the Gansu Tianshui children’s lead poisoning incident, it may rapidly turn into a national-level discussion and a crisis of trust regarding food safety issues.