17-Year-Old Olympic Diver Reduced To Tears After Swarming Fans Chase Her Into Bathroom
Some fans even attempted to follow the athlete into the bathroom.
By Celine Low — 05 Sep 2024, 01:41 PM
Since her appearance at the Paris Olympics, Chinese Olympic diver Quan Hongchan has been receiving lots of love and attention from her fans.
However, some have gone overboard with their support for her.
Videos showing the 17-year-old athlete trying to escape swarming "fans" at a hotel in Macau have gone viral on Chinese social media since last Sunday, 1 September.
Quan was in Macau as part of a three-day tour, during which the top-ranking Chinese Olympic athlete visited the city and neighbouring Hong Kong.
The young diver won two gold medals for her country in the women's 10-metre platform single diving event and the 10-metre synchronised platform at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Combined with her previous win in the women's 10-metre platform event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she is the youngest triple gold medalist in Chinese Olympic history.
According to reports, Quan had ventured out with her teammates for some leisure time in Macau and dressed in casual clothes, a hat, and a mask to keep a low profile.
However, on her way back to her hotel, fans recognised her and began following her.
Quan and two of her friends ran into a hotel bathroom to escape the crowd, but it didn't seem to stop the mob
A man wearing a white T-shirt can be seen rushing into the women's bathroom after them
Some fans also followed suit, running into the bathroom to catch a glimpse of the young athlete on their phones.
Security personnel quickly intervened to manage the situation but fans remained unwilling to leave and continued to crowd in front of the women's bathroom.
A female staff member told the crowd that the young diver had become so overwhelmed that she was reduced to tears in the bathroom.
Once the situation came under control, Quan emerged from the bathroom and she was safely escorted away by her team and security personnel
In a separate incident during her stay in Macau, Quan was once again swarmed by fans, who surrounded the entrance of an elevator the athlete was in
Quan is seen waiting inside an elevator, asking fans to let a staff member through.
Image via googleapis.comVisibly distressed, she moved uneasily in the elevator, frantically calling for her team to accompany her.
Since the viral videos surfaced on social media, many netizens have condemned this celebrity worship culture, also known as 'fan quan' (translated as 'rice circle')
Many have called out the intrusive fans in the video, who completely disregarded the young diver's privacy and safety.
"They don't like Quan Hongchan, what they like is that they're the ones to have pictures of Quan Hongchan in their circle of friends," one said.
"The one guy is crazy. He ran into the women's restroom," another criticised.
"Don't bring this 'rice circle' culture to the sports world, it will scare [Quan]. If you really like her, don't do such scary things like chasing after her and blocking her way, and let her have a happy time in Macau," one user urged.
"This situation is so scary. I feel so sorry for her. They all went to the toilet. Even the door was pulled open! She is only 17 years old," another commented.
