"Strange and Awkward"... Olympic Gold Medalist Pan Jian'er Suddenly Disbands Fan Club

Winning Gold Medal and Gaining 1 Million SNS Followers in Five Days
"I Want to Stay Quiet and Enjoy Peace and Tranquility" Statement

Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle. Photo by Yonhap News

Chinese sprinter swimmer Pan Zhanle, who won the gold medal with a world record at the 2024 Paris Olympics, suddenly disbanded his official fan club.

On the 16th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Pan Zhanle disbanded his fan club on Chinese social media platform Weibo on the 12th. The news has attracted attention with 250 million views within China. The fan club was created around 2021 when Pan Zhanle was not yet famous. It is also known that he directly managed it and communicated with fans.

SCMP explained, "The fan club, which was composed of swimming fans, saw a rapid increase in new members as Pan Zhanle's popularity rose," adding, "Pan Zhanle seems to have disbanded the fan club because he felt uncomfortable with this situation."

Pan Zhanle once mentioned in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) about the changing attitudes of fans depending on his performance. He said, "When I do well, fans gather outside the hotel to get my autograph, but when my performance declines, some fans do not do that," adding, "The way fans seek me out feels very strange and awkward. I want to stay quiet and enjoy peace and tranquility."

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pan Zhanle set a new Olympic record with a time of 46.92 seconds in the men's 400m freestyle relay final. Later, he won the men's 100m freestyle championship with a time of 46.40 seconds, earning China's first-ever gold medal in swimming. Pan Zhanle's Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) account gained 1 million followers in just five days.

SCMP reported, "Pan Zhanle has become even more popular by opposing the so-called fandom culture rather than the water." It also evaluated that Pan Zhanle's stance is seen as a direct challenge to harmful fan culture amid phenomena such as excessive 'tribute' culture toward sports stars and slander battles among fans of Chinese national team athletes.