Sun Yang files police report over cyberbully

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has sparked heated public debate following controversial remarks he made on Hunan TV show Viva La Romance 2026. On April 29, hashtags such as #SunYangRumoredSecretChild# and #SunYangMotherAllegedlyDemandedMadiRemoval# trended on Weibo.

That same day, Sun Yang's studio issued a statement denying the rumors, calling claims that his mother had asked the show's production team to delete a guest's remarks or that he had called a female producer late at night "malicious fabrications" with no factual basis. Later that evening, the studio released a legal statement reiterating that rumors about Sun Yang having a secret child or his mother demanding the deletion of certain remarks were false, adding that such irresponsible rumors severely infringed upon the reputation of Sun Yang, his parents, and his spouse, disrupted his family life, and were highly damaging.

Subsequently, netizens questioned Sun Yang's admission to Shanghai University of Sport as a doctoral student in 2018. A publicly released admission list from May 2018 showed Sun Yang had been admitted under a "review-based admission system" with an interview score of 89. However, his name did not appear on an earlier admission list from January 2018 for the same system, which included all seven other admitted candidates for that program.
More suspiciously, Sun Yang was not listed among the 25 candidates who entered second-round interview for the "Human Movement Science" program. His enrollment process appeared to bypass the standard selection track. The university's response at the time cited the "review-based system," stating that Sun Yang had ranked first in his interview. When contacted by media, a university representative confirmed that Sun Yang remains a current student.

On May 1, Sun Yang's studio issued another firm statement, claiming that he had been subjected to a large-scale, organized, and systematic online defamation campaign. The false information had erupted within a short period, severely infringing upon his legal rights.
Sun Yang has filed a report with the public security authorities and has received a formal case filing acknowledgment. The authorities have accepted the case in accordance with the law.
The statement warned: "The internet is not a lawless place." It urged all rumor-mongers and malicious disseminators to immediately delete infringing content. The legal team has secured evidence and will pursue civil, administrative, and even criminal liability.
The public is asked not to believe or spread rumors, and to help maintain a clean cyberspace.