Japanese badminton star dubbed ‘most beautiful player' in China pleads with fans to ‘stop the stalking'
Japanese badminton player Chiharu Shida has issued a public plea to her Chinese fans, asking them to respect her privacy and stop stalking her.
Their behaviour, she says, has left her 'very uncomfortable and very scared'.
Dubbed the 'most beautiful player' in China, Shida, 27, is currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, a city in eastern China.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Shida complained that her harassment has persisted for over a year and a half.
'Thank you to everyone for your continued support, but I would like to request something from all my fans,' she wrote in Chinese.
'We have been stalked every time we compete in China, it has already been going on for a year and a half. Recently, we've been feeling very uncomfortable and very scared.'
The athlete, who won a bronze medal in women's doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside partner Nami Matsuyama, did not specify who she meant by 'we'. The pair are currently ranked third in the world.
'I know it's not all fans that are like this, and I really like China and I'm thankful for all the support from fans. Starting now, please immediately stop the stalking and similar behaviour,' she added. 'If this type of situation continues, I will have to think of a way to handle it. Finally, please focus on us in the stadium, not on our private lives. Thanks again.'
The Japanese player has developed a large following in China, where she is often referred to online as the 'Badminton Goddess', owing to her sporting success as well as her perceived personal charm.
This is not the first time Ms Shida has raised concerns about harassment. In November 2023, she revealed she had been 'stalked and intimately touched' by fans during the China Masters tournament in Shenzhen, the South China Morning Post reported.
At the time, she asked fans to 'keep their distance'.
Her comments prompted a rare statement from the Chinese Olympic Committee condemning what it described as 'obsessive fan culture', warning that such behaviour was not only disruptive to competitions but also harmful to public order and sporting ethics.
'This kind of 'low-level fan' seems to act out of love for their idol,' the committee said. 'But they make irrational actions that endanger the normal order of the competition, public order and good customs, and endanger the spirit of sports and social morality.'
The statement was issued in the wake of two separate incidents involving Chinese fans: one in which judges were verbally abused at a national diving competition after Olympian Quan Hongchan failed to win gold, and another involving Olympic table tennis star Fan Zhendong.
Fan, a three-time Olympic champion, was stalked by a woman who reportedly entered his hotel room using a stolen key card. In December, he also had to appeal to fans for privacy after being swarmed in a hotel lobby.
Earlier in September 2021, he had reprimanded fans after they swamped an airport to try and get a glimpse of him.
The huddle of fans became so large that the Olympic silver medallist struggled to get to his connecting flight, leading to an angry outburst on microblogging site Weibo.
'Regarding today's chaotic situation at the Guangzhou airport, I think I must express my attitude,' he said.
'Aggressive crowds and physical contact not only bothered me but created inconveniences for the airport staff and other passengers.'
China's internet regulators have intensified efforts to curb toxic fan behaviour in sports, removing over 1.6 million illegal posts and shutting down nearly 4,000 online accounts, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced last week, China Daily reported.
The crackdown targets online harassment, doxxing and profiteering under the guise of fandom. In total, 76,000 accounts were penalised, with 3,767 permanently shut down.
According to the agency, the main violations included three types of online behavior.
First, "pack leaders" who led online abuse campaigns against rival athletes and coaches. Second, accounts that sensationalised athlete behaviour or spread rumours about fabricated romantic relationships to attract views.
Third, impersonators who posed as athletes or coaches to run fake fan groups and profit off emotional manipulation.
Amid growing concerns around athlete safety, British tennis star Emma Raducanu recently spoke about being left in tears during her second-round match at the Dubai Open, after spotting a stalker in the crowd.
The man, who had previously approached her in public, has now been given a restraining order and banned from future WTA events.
"couldn't see the ball through tears" and "could barely breathe'.
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