Crackdown on 'fandom' intensified

China's cyberspace watchdogs recently intensified their campaign against toxic sports "fandom" by cleaning up 1.6 million pieces of related illegal information and shutting down nearly 4,000 online accounts, regulators said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Cyberspace Administration of China stated that by punishing related accounts — as well as those that profit from illegally selling personal information, schedules or sports gear bearing fake signatures of star athletes — they aim to create a good environment for athletes who are training and preparing for matches, and ensure that sports events organizers can perform their duties smoothly.

According to the administration, it mainly targeted fandom accounts that were engaged in three types of behavior: "pack" leaders that frequently and maliciously insult rival athletes and coaches; those that provoked arguments and drew views by maliciously interpreting athletes' actions out of context or making sensational narratives about nonexistent romantic relationships; and those that pretended to belong to athletes or coaches and established fan groups to push for irrational rallying, from which they profited.

In total, approximately 76,000 accounts were penalized, including 3,767 that were permanently shut down, the administration said, adding that it also took down 123 pieces of sports memorabilia branded as signed by athletes, which in reality used counterfeit signatures, and shut down six online shops.

In a previously singled-out incident, the General Administration of Sport of China strongly condemned such fandom behavior in late February after insults were made on-site and online following the 34th ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup. At the time, star table tennis players were insulted during and after the match when the match results became unbearable for some fans.

In the past, some players including Olympic gold medalists Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong had called for respect for their privacy after their personal information and schedules were leaked online.

Olympic gold medalist diver Quan Hongchan also spoke out, asking spectators to respect her personal time.

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress and a renowned sponsor of sports events, called such behavior "hunting rather than star-chasing" in a televised interview with China Central Television during the two sessions last month, urging people to resist such behavior.

The cyberspace administration said that it would continue to monitor platforms and punish such accounts, and cooperate with sports management authorities to establish a joint mechanism to avoid similar actions in the future. It added that tip-offs on behaviors that may constitute crimes have been transferred to relevant authorities for further investigation.

Separately, police at Beijing Capital International Airport said that they had given administrative penalties to 31 people this year for disrupting public order by gathering and taking photos of stars illegally, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on Tuesday.

The police said that some entertainment companies failed to guide fans correctly, which led to disruptive fan gatherings at the airport. The police asked involved companies to rectify and resist irrational idol-chasing, warning that those breaching the law would be held responsible.