Quan Hongchan: Cyberbullying and the Toxic Side of Sports Fandom
- China’s General Administration of Sport has launched an investigation into a campaign of malicious cyberbullying and harassment targeting three-time Olympic gold medalist diver Quan Hongchan.
- The probe follows a series of hateful online campaigns that have targeted Quan's physique and professional discipline.
- The Swimming Management Centre of the General Administration of Sport and the Ersha Sports Training Centre in Guangdong province have both issued statements regarding the matter.
China’s General Administration of Sport has launched an investigation into a campaign of malicious
cyberbullying and harassment targeting three-time Olympic gold medalist diver Quan Hongchan. The investigation, which was reported on April 8, 2026, focuses on what authorities have described as national-level bullying
and organized online attacks against the athlete.
The probe follows a series of hateful online campaigns that have targeted Quan’s physique and professional discipline. According to reports from the South China Morning Post, the harassment included comments likening the diver to a pig
, claiming she looks like a man
, and describing her as countrified
. Some attackers went further by questioning her athletic achievements, alleging that she only won her titles because the judges were biased
, and calling for her to retire early
.
The Swimming Management Centre of the General Administration of Sport and the Ersha Sports Training Centre in Guangdong province have both issued statements regarding the matter. The authorities indicated that the harassment campaign has persisted for four years and may involve the participation of teammates. The matter has been reported to the police, and Guangzhou police have already administratively detained one man in connection with the case.
Psychological Impact and Personal Toll
The personal toll of the scrutiny has been significant. Quan admitted that the harassment left her terrified
of mirrors, camera lenses, and scales. In an interview with the magazine Renwu this year, the 19-year-old athlete revealed that she seriously considered retiring after the Paris 2024 Olympics before ultimately deciding to continue her career.
Quan discussed the immense pressure she felt regarding her weight, noting that she saw people every day in public opinion describing her as fat
. She stated that this pressure led to a perceived necessity to diet, even though she was already eating very little.
The cycle of cyberbullying intensified after September 2025, following Quan’s enrollment at the Sports College of Jinan University. During this period, images and videos of the diver circulated widely on social media, sparking a wave of body shaming where netizens used terms such as fattened
and not disciplined
to describe her.
Return to Competition and Recent Success
Despite these psychological hurdles and a 183-day hiatus from competition, Quan returned to the sporting stage on November 2, 2025. Representing the Guangdong team at the 15th National Games, she competed in the women’s synchronized 10m platform event.
Partnering with Wang Weiying, Quan secured the gold medal in a closely contested final. The duo finished with a total score of 235.86, narrowly defeating the Shanghai team’s pair of Chen Yuxi and Zhang Minjie, who finished second with 234.96 points. The victory was decided by a margin of 0.90 points.
The performance served as a technical rebuttal to critics who had questioned her physical condition and discipline. By securing the gold, Quan demonstrated that her mastery of the water-splash disappearance technique
remained intact despite the period of intense personal and professional pressure.
Athletic Background and Systemic Issues
Quan Hongchan rose to international prominence at the age of 14 when she won her first Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. She further solidified her status as a diving icon by winning two additional gold medals at the Paris 2024 Games.
The investigation into the attacks on Quan has highlighted broader issues within Chinese sports culture, including the rise of toxic fandom
. This environment is characterized by extreme adulation toward athletes that can quickly shift into obsessive monitoring of their personal lives or malicious attacks on opponents and teammates.
- General Administration of Sport: Investigating malicious attacks and reporting to police.
- Guangzhou Police: Have administratively detained one individual.
- Ersha Sports Training Centre: Issued statements to tackle the bullying faced by Quan and her family.
- Swimming Management Centre: Coordinating the probe into the organized harassment campaign.