The three-time Olympic gold medalist has faced harmful online abuse and even considered retiring due to comments about her appearance.
Published April 8, 2026
Chinese swimming authorities say they have launched an investigation into the cyberbullying of three-time Olympic gold medal diving champion Quan Hongchan and have reported the matter to the police.
The “malicious” online attack against Mr. Quan is being investigated by the China General Administration of Sports, the agency announced on Wednesday.
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Quang, who won her first gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games at the age of 14 and two more at the Paris 2024 Games, has given several interviews about the harmful online comments about her weight and the immense pressure she feels to diet even though she was already eating very little.
Quan, now 19, told Chinese magazine Renwu earlier this year that he seriously considered retiring before deciding to continue playing after the Paris Olympics.
“After the Olympics, I actually thought about retiring,” she said.
Quan said she was asked many times about her weight.
“At that time, I saw people every day, not only within the team but also in public opinion outside, saying I was fat,” Quan said.
“Recently, cyberbullying, malicious attacks and false information targeting Quan Hongchan and other divers have emerged online,” the Sports Administration’s Swimming Management Center said in a statement.
“We take this matter very seriously and have immediately begun verification and response efforts,” the center said, adding that it was cooperating with authorities in Quang’s home province of southern Guangdong.
He added that he “categorically” rejected the “abnormal” fan culture.
“Toxic fandom”
Praise for Chinese athletes includes fans obsessing over their personal lives and cyberbullying their opponents.
State media has called the behavior “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it.
Quang won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games, which were postponed due to the pandemic, at just 14 years old. She won two more gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games.
Crowds flocked to the hometown of the teenager, now one of China’s most popular athletes, and crowded her into a hotel.
Mr Quang’s swimming club also announced on Wednesday that it had “reported the incident” to police.
“Athletes are valuable national assets,” Guangdong-based Ersha Sports Training Center said on social media.
“Acts such as malicious defamation, insults, and spreading of false information against athletes and their families cross legal and moral lines,” it added.
Since his Olympic success, Quang has seen his hometown of Maihe, part of the southern city of Zhanjiang, become a tourist destination.
In an editorial in April, the state-run Global Times said her life was under a microscope and criticized an “unhealthy fan culture” where praise turns to criticism and even hostility.
