China tells fans: stop celebrating athletes’ birthdays, warns about wasting resources
Authorities were responding to the massive scale of supporter-organised celebrations in various cities for table tennis star Wang Chuqin
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”.