China cracks down on 'fan culture' during the Olympics, arresting a woman for social media posts

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese woman has been detained for allegedly slandering others on social media in a crackdown on what Chinese authorities see as harmful negativity during the Olympics from super-zealous fans and online fan clubs.

Beijing police said in statement issued late Tuesday that they had arrested the 29-year-old suspect after receiving tips from the public that some people had made defamatory posts about athletes and coaches after a closely watched women's table tennis final on Saturday.

Both finalists were Chinese, and table tennis is the national sport. Heated comments on social media, echoed to a degree by a partisan crowd in Paris that favored one of the competitors, sparked a backlash in China. At least three major social media platforms deleted or otherwise restricted thousands of posts and comments and suspended the accounts of hundreds of users. Several state media criticized the outbursts in articles headlined, "Do not let fan culture erode China’s table tennis.”

China's internet regulator has cracked down previously on similar “fan culture” built around entertainment stars. The phenomenon spread to athletes in China following the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to the state-owned Global Times newspaper, which said fan leaders start battles on social media, manipulate comment sections and attack athletes and others, leading to fierce conflicts between fan groups.