In Beijing, they decided to crack down on "aggressive fans" who allegedly influence the performances of Chinese athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris, and this is just the latest in a series of steps to stop the culture of worshiping famous people.
Over the past few days, Chinese government-controlled media have criticized "inappropriate" behavior, such as booing during sporting events and accusations of unfair refereeing.
Such "cheering culture," as they say, peaked on Aug. 3 when table tennis player Chen Meng defeated national team teammate Sun Jingsha in the women's gold medal match.
Despite the defeat, social media in China was flooded with messages of support for Sun Jingshu, with some downplaying Chen's victory, claiming that she only achieved the triumph because Sun was tired after the three previous matches she had played.
Tens of thousands of posts were removed from social platforms in China and more than 800 accounts were blocked for allegedly "spreading negativity and calling for conflict" regarding the match.
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One of Sun Jingsha's fans wrote that he "wants Chen to test positive for banned substances in the doping control so her gold medal can be awarded to Sun," which angered many social media users.
A 29-year-old woman was also arrested for publishing offensive comments after the match.
It is not yet known what exactly she said, but police announced on Tuesday that she "maliciously fabricated false information and openly insulted others, which caused harm to society."
These moves are part of Beijing's strategy to deal with the "toxic" culture of celebrity idolization.
Previously, in China it was forbidden to rank celebrities, to reorganize their fan clubs, and regularly remove "harmful" content from pages dedicated to celebrities.
Over the past few days, the Global Times, which is influenced by the Chinese government, has published several articles criticizing the "culture of worship" in sports.
One of them states that "many Chinese" are now worried about "an apparently aggressive fan culture, which threatens to damage the world of sports".
In addition to inflammatory comments about athletes, Chinese authorities have also criticized fans who cheer loudly or use the flash of mobile phones and cameras at matches, as well as those who make money by selling memorabilia signed by athletes.
"The culture of cheering not only affects the training and competition of Chinese athletes, but also seriously damages the reputation of Chinese sports," Xinhua said in a video report released on Wednesday.
The Shanghai Daily published a commentary calling on social platforms to "tighten strict rules against harmful behavior" and sports organizations to "take firm stands against fan mania."
From Beijing, they warned about the "culture of cheering" even before the Olympic Games in Paris.
At the end of last year, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the General Administration for Sports of that country warned fans after several incidents of filming and following athletes.
"It seems that these 'low-ranking fans' are driven by love for their idols and impulsively make irrational moves, disrupting the normal order of events, public order and peace and good practices, social morality and fair play," the joint statement said.
Ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese Olympic Committee has warned Chinese athletes not to join fan clubs, adding that they want to "resolutely put an end to the spread of the chaos of fan culture on sports fields."
Athletes say they want to be "respected".
Deng Japing, an experienced table tennis player, called on fans to "express fans' preferences without attacking others."
"We have to respect each other and leave space for everyone," she added.
Additional reporting by Ian Tang
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