Former Chinese gymnast Wu Liufang saw her Douyin follower count explode after posting a series of photos on the Chinese social media site. - Photo: Douyin/ Wu Liufang
BEIJING: Former Chinese gymnast Wu Liufang has been slammed by compatriot and Olympic champion Guan Chenchen for posting viral “thirst trap” videos on social media that led to her account being partially banned on Sunday.
Wu, 29, is a decorated athlete who racked up a number of medals at international events - including gold in the balance beam and floor events at the 2010 Doha World Cup - before retiring in 2013.
But it’s her recent online conduct that has come under the spotlight.
Wu uploaded videos of her dancing in short shorts, mini skirts and stockings that racked up tens of thousands of likes on Douyin – China’s TikTok – and which were later taken down.
It is unclear when she began uploading such videos since most have been taken down. Local news site 21st Century Business Herald reported that she also livestreamed similar content, and began doing so in March.
Guan said that Wu’s “sexy” dancing videos were disrespectful. Wu’s account was later banned from accepting new followers for violating the platform’s “community regulations”.
“Sister, if you want to post thirst trap [videos], do it on your own, [but] don’t stain gymnastics. Your ‘positive energy’ is not needed,” Guan said about one of Wu’s videos on Friday.
Wu, 29, then responded by accusing Guan of “sour grapes” as the two continued to trade sarcastic blows and also sarcastic remarks in the comments section.
Guan said: “Sister, you’re so amazing, I’m so envious, you won so many medals and your records are great, you are great! I need to be more like you.”
Former Chinese gymnast Wu Liufang saw her Douyin account partially banned after posting a series of pictures.
Wu’s follower count skyrocketed from 55,000 to more than 250,000 after the verbal sparring.
In one comment, Guan sarcastically complimented Wu, saying, “Sister, you’re so amazing, I’m so envious, you won so many medals and your records are great, you are great! I need to be more like you.”
Wu fired back, saying, “You are even better! Wait until you lose some weight, and you can wear nice clothes and be beautiful.”
Guan won gold in the balance beam event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and retired from gymnastics in October 2022.
Wu, who retired in 2013, won gold in the asymmetric bars at the 2012 Asian Championships.
The fallout between the two former athletes gained massive attention on Chinese social media, with tens of millions of views on Weibo.
Opinions were divided on who was at fault, but many users expressed outrage over a video in which Wu danced while wearing China’s Paris Olympics tracksuit.
“You can post thirst trap [videos], but distance yourself from the national team,” one popular comment read.
Another user added: “As long as you’re not wearing China’s gymnastics clothes or the national team uniform, you can do whatever you want, but having CN on the uniforms in your videos is inappropriate and disrespectful.”
In a live stream on Sunday, Wu issued an apology to her fans over the incident, stating that she may not express herself well verbally but aims to bring joy through her movements, reported Shanghai Daily. But the controversy continues to divide public opinion.
A spokesperson for China’s national gymnastics body said on Nov 25 it was aware of the incident, reported 21st Century Business Herald. “As Wu is a retired athlete, (we) are still looking at how to handle the (situation),” the spokesperson said. - Agencies
