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Sun Yang fan group disbands as supporters ditch swimmer on Chinese social media

  • China’s star swimmer has filed an appeal against his eight-year ban but court says ‘no decision has been made’
  • Global supporters group announces intention to disband as it apologises for fan behaviour

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Sun Yang reacts to winning the 400m freestyle final at the 2019 world championships in South Korea. Photo: EPA
China’s star swimmer Sun Yang is losing support as he awaits his appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, with his global supporters group disbanding and social media users unfollowing the Olympic champion.
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The Sun Yang Global Support Association announced its intention to dissolve in a post on Weibo, written by a user named “Novak_ark”.

“For some time there has been a lot of criticism on the internet for Sun Yang fans, we sincerely accept that. To all those who have been forced to pay attention to fan behaviour and persecution, we sincerely apologise and decide to disband the support group.

“Under the premise of Sun Yang’s public voice causing cyber bullying, stirring up nationalism, and violent resistance to inspection, here we would like to say sorry to the Chinese people and all athletes.”

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Sun’s fans had targeted his long-time rival and critic Mack Horton on social media, although many since apologised following February’s Court of Arbitration for Sport verdict banning him for eight years. Horton’s family also spoke of a campaign of intimidation that saw the family home in Melbourne broken into and glass put in the swimming pool, alongside nuisance phone calls, website hacking and death threats.
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“We feel guilty about not being able to guide fans effectively” and describing “recent acts of irrational behaviour” as a “wake up call”.

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