PARIS — China's top table tennis player Chen Meng has called on Chinese fans to be more considerate towards the country's athletes after noticeable tension between rival fans at the Olympic Games and the arrest of a woman by Beijing police for posting defamatory comments.
China have so far swept all three gold medals in table tennis, clinching both gold and silver in the women's singles, but their success has not satisfied the fan base divided between top players.
"I still hope that they can face the wins and losses of athletes on the field correctly. I believe if you're following sports, you should have the mindset to bear and endure these outcomes," Chen said after China beat Taiwan 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the team semi-finals.
"After all, the charm of competitive sports lies in this aspect."
The tension among Chinese fans favouring different players has been evident both at the South Paris Arena and online, with each athlete having their own fan club.
Sun Yingsha, 23, who won gold in mixed doubles, has one of the largest followings among Chinese athletes, with more than five million followers on Weibo.
Many fans came to cheer her on in Paris, hoping she could defeat the 30-year-old Chen and establish herself as the new leader of Chinese table tennis.
To their disappointment, Sun lost to Chen in a replay of their encounter at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, despite having beaten her in the interim.
Throughout the game, there were noticeably louder cheers for Sun and boos directed at Chen whenever she scored by avid Sun fans, which drew criticism online.
Chen comforted Sun after the match and encouraged her to keep going but that did not stop furious fans from expressing their anger online.
"Of course, when it comes to competitions, everyone naturally hopes their favourite athlete will win," Chen said.
"However, in every match, there will always be a winner and a loser. So I hope that (fans) can focus more on appreciating the spirit of struggle and perseverance that athletes display on the field."
Beijing police reported the arrest of a 29-year-old woman suspected of posting defamatory remarks on social media about Chinese athletes and coaches following the women's singles final.
Weibo, China's popular microblogging site, said it had deleted more than 12,000 posts and banned more than 300 accounts because of "illegal" comments.
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