China arrests woman suspected of ‘defaming’ Olympic table tennis players

BEIJING – Beijing police have arrested a woman suspected of posting defamatory comments on social media about Chinese athletes and coaches, following the table tennis women’s singles final at the Paris Olympics.

The suspect, a 29-year-old surnamed He, “maliciously fabricated information and blatantly defamed others, resulting in an adverse impact on society”, the police at Daxing district said in a statement late on Aug 6.

The case was being investigated, the police said, although specific details about the defamatory comments were not disclosed.

In the Aug 3 match, China’s defending champion Chen Meng defeated teammate Sun Yingsha, the world No.1, 4-2 in a replay of their previous encounter in Tokyo three years ago.

Throughout the game, there were audible cheers for Sun and boos directed at Chen whenever she scored, according to a broadcast of the event.

After the game, many people took to social media to criticise the crowd’s behaviour.

“If this kind of fan culture is allowed to permeate in sports, it can ultimately undermine even the most talented athletes, like Sun Yingsha,” a user on Weibo said.

Weibo, China’s popular microblogging site, said it had deleted over 12,000 posts and banned more than 300 accounts over what it called “illegal” comments.

Many people also took to social media to express their joy and national pride after Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle smashed his own 100m freestyle world record, even as China was plunged backed into the doping spotlight after media reports that two swimmers in 2022 had tested positive for a banned steroid. REUTERS