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SCMP Sport

Bloomberg

China fans have been told to stop holding lavish celebrations of athletes’ birthdays, with officials reminding them “to stay rational”.
The warning came in response to news of large gatherings to mark the 26th birthday of table tennis star Wang Chuqin on Monday.
Posters of the world No 1, who guided his men’s side to the World Team Table Tennis Championships title in London on Sunday, had already appeared in various shopping centres, with additional reports indicating fans were planning drone light shows.
Wang had posted a statement on Weibo last week urging fans not to hold the celebrations.
“I do not advocate for or participate in any form of birthday support activities; focusing more on the matches is the best support for me,” he wrote. “Let’s cheer for Team China together!”

On Sunday, state media reported that an unnamed manager at China’s General Administration of Sport had recently asked fans “refrain from organising and participating in activities such as athlete birthday celebrations”.
“Such events not only use up a great portion of public resources but can also easily interfere with athletes’ preparations for competitions,” the official said according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Officials said such events risked interfering with the athletes’ preparation for competitions, while also citing concerns over the use of public resources and disruptions to training and the potential for infringing on their legal rights.
Authorities in China have been cracking down on so‑called “fan circles” – organised groups which coordinate online campaigns and commercial activities focused on athletes and other celebrities.
In an effort to assert greater control over the web culture, Beijing specified limits on how such grass-roots groups can organise, mobilise and monetise public attention.
Most comments regarding the announcement were supportive in general, but some Chinese social media users were also quick to question the handling of more pressing matters.
“When will the issue of spreading rumours/cyberbullying athletes be addressed as well?” one commenter asked. “I’ve never seen anyone stand up for them [in those cases].”
“Please also deal with the numerous bloggers who spread rumours about athletes on the internet,” a second commenter said.
“Why not talk about the disruptive behaviour of those photographers at the airport and stalkers who disturb athletes?” read another comment.
While fan culture is everywhere, in places like the United States, it was largely shaped by market forces and regulated by private platforms and civil law. China, by contrast, has treated the devotees as a governance issue linked to social order.
In response to the officials, social media users in China also blasted their lack of awareness and inability to deal with the perceived problem of fan culture.
“They have the ability to spout empty rhetoric, but not the ability to discipline their athletes?” one commenter wrote. “The fan culture has been going on for years and still can’t be resolved; look at the state of the sports world now.”


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China tells fans: stop celebrating athletes’ birthdays, warns about wasting resources

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Sport

China

Authorities were responding to the massive scale of supporter-organised celebrations in various cities for table tennis star Wang Chuqin


Authorities were responding to the massive scale of supporter-organised celebrations in various cities for table tennis star Wang Chuqin.


Wang Chuqin

China tells fans: stop celebrating athletes’ birthdays, warns about wasting resources

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Authorities were responding to the massive scale of supporter-organised celebrations in various cities for table tennis star Wang Chuqin

Authorities were responding to the massive scale of supporter-organised celebrations in various cities for table tennis star Wang Chuqin