Japanese badminton star Chiharu Shida on Tuesday told Chinese fans to “stop stalking” her, adding that she was “very scared” by the unwanted attention.
Shida, who won women’s doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics last year, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture.
The 27-year-old, currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, has been dubbed the “Badminton Goddess” by fans and media.
Photo: AFP
She hit out at some supporters on Tuesday, accusing them in an Instagram post of taking their fandom too far.
“Every time we compete in China we always experience the harm of stalkers,” Shida wrote in Chinese.
“It has already gone on for a year and a half, and recently I have felt very uncomfortable and very scared,” she said.
“From now on, please immediately stop stalking me ... but if the situation continues, I will think of a way to handle it,” she said.
Shida added that “not all fans are like this” and thanked the majority for their support.
China’s government has tried to curb extreme fandom in the past few years after sports stars and other celebrities experienced stalking and other abuse from particularly fervent followers.
Beijing’s cyberwatchdog closed nearly 4,000 online accounts and scrubbed 1.6 million posts from the country’s highly controlled Internet platforms to “create a good public opinion environment for athletes”, state broadcaster China Central Television reported this week.
In Ningbo, third seeds Shida and doubles partner Nami Matsuyama, who are ranked third in the world, yesterday beat compatriots Mizuki Otake and Miyu Takahashi to advance to the round-of-16.
In other women’s doubles matches, Taiwan’s world No. 16 Sung Shuo-yun and Yu Chien-hui beat India’s Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra 21-11, 21-13 in 35 minutes to advance to the second round.
In men’s singles, seventh seed and world No. 13 Lin Chun-yi of Taiwan beat Malaysia’s Leong Jun-hao 21-11, 21-19 to set up a match against China’s Lu Guangzu, while Chi Yu-jen of Taiwan defeated Sinapore’s Jason Teh 21-14, 21-19 to set up a round-of-16 match against fourth seed Li Shifeng of China.
In men’s doubles, Chiu Hsiang-chieh and two-time Olympic champion Wang Chi-lin overpowered India’s Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and K. Sai Partheek 21-19, 21-12 to set up a second-round match against China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, while Taiwan’s Liu Kuang-heng and Yang Po-han and compatriots Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan also advanced.
In mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan, and compatriots Cheng Chengkuan and Hsu made it through the first round, along with Taiwan’s Lu Ming-che and Hung En-tzu.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Japanese badminton star Chiharu Shida on Tuesday told Chinese fans to “stop stalking” her, adding that she was “very scared” by the unwanted attention. Shida, who won women’s doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics last year, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture. The 27-year-old, currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, has been dubbed the “Badminton Goddess” by fans and media. She hit out at some supporters on Tuesday, accusing them in an Instagram post of taking their fandom too far. “Every time we compete in China we always experience the harm
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have shown the team do not need star power to win trophies and with the French Ligue 1 title won with six games to spare, the French champions would look to finish the season without losing, manager Luis Enrique said on Saturday. A 1-0 victory over Angers SCO at the Parc des Princes helped PSG win their fourth straight Ligue 1 title and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG can still break Nantes’ 30-year-old record of 32 games unbeaten. Although Nantes lost one game en route to the title, no French club has ever gone an entire league
A potential European league could be a gold mine for the NBA as the top-flight North American league looks to muscle its way into a deep pool of talent across the Atlantic Ocean. The NBA is exploring the launch of a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as a partner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week, with an eye toward a 16-team format made up of 12 permanent clubs and four qualifiers. The continent’s longstanding Euroleague quickly signaled its readiness to enter into talks with the NBA, even as it has balked at the idea of another league in
RSS