China forcefully cracks down on 'illegal' online behavior from its sports fans

Since the end of the Paris Olympics, the Chinese authorities have stepped up their efforts to address unruly comments about their athletes from online fan communities.

According to The Independent, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said it would crack down on "illegal and criminal acts of 'fan circles' as part of its internet security measures" and urged fellow fans not to "spread rumours, attack, and slander others".

The move for the government to act swiftly comes after the women's table tennis final on August 3rd, when some derogatory comments were posted online. A user posted remarks against athletes and coaches in the early hours of August 4th, causing significant public outcry.

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Beijing police were quick to intervene and arrested a 29-year-old woman by the surname 'He.' She admitted to making the offensive posts, and the case is still under investigation.

According to the English News website, the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) released a statement condemning the comments and that such behavior had drastically impacted the team's training and competitions, bringing a negative influence on their lives.

Despite the negative comments online towards the Chinese table tennis team, China achieved a clean sweep in the sport, securing five gold medals.

On August 15th, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security outlined three other cases involving illegal behavior within fan circles and reiterated the internet was not a lawless zone.

The most recent statement came after some of China's gymnasts had been targeted by online fan groups, with the Chinese Gymnastics Association condemning the comments of rumors and insults against their athletes.

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It also addresses negative abuse towards Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle, who broke the 100m freestyle world record with a time of 46.40s, according to the Olympic website.

The newly crowned world record holder disbanded his only fan group on the social media platform Weibo and told state broadcaster CCTV that he preferred to keep a low profile.

"A bad thing about being famous is that too many people surround me. I'd rather not have as much success if it meant I could continue training hard with peace of mind."

The news of the abuse of Chinese athletes comes after the country's most successful Games since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning the joint most golds as the United States (40) and only missing out on top spot because of the silver medal count.

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