Shocking 'National Scam': Doctored National Team Broadcast Deceived 200,000 Viewers... Exploited China's Table Tennis Passion to Sell Products

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

A scam that exploited the immense enthusiasm for table tennis within China is fueling controversy.

According to an in-depth report by Chinese media outlet Toutiao on the 4th, it has been revealed that hundreds of thousands of viewers have fallen victim to a live commerce scam broadcast disguised as a sports live stream.

The true nature of the incident came to light during the '2026 WTT Montpellier Champions' tournament held in France on the 1st.

At the time, while the women's singles semifinal between Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi was scheduled for the evening local time, a fake live broadcast showing a tense '12-11' match point battle had already been streaming on short clip platforms five hours before the actual match began.

In reality, Sun Yingsha faced Man Kaiui, losing the first set but then winning four consecutive games to claim victory with a 4-1 score, yet a completely different scenario was broadcast.

The methods of the fake broadcasts were cunning and organized. They overlaid an announcer's thrilling commentary onto audio from past matches and displayed arbitrarily manipulated scoreboards on screen, deceiving viewers into believing an actual match was in progress. It was confirmed that the number of concurrent users for some broadcasts far exceeded 200,000.

The ultimate goal of these manipulated broadcasts was product sales. After creating an atmosphere as if the match situation were becoming intense, the host induced viewers to make purchases by stating, "We are offering a special discount to commemorate Sun Yingsha taking the match point." The products sold were diverse, ranging from pain relief patches to shampoo and lutein eye drops. In the broadcast chat, so-called shills who had been recruited in advance systematically posted comments requesting repeat purchases and praising the products, misleading viewers.

In the past, impersonating famous athletes required considerable effort, but recently, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have lowered even the barrier to entry for such crimes. Previously, Chinese state-run media CCTV reported on accounts that used AI voice cloning technology to perfectly imitate the voices of diving star Quan Hongchan and national table tennis representatives Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin to sell agricultural products, among others.

Chinese media pointed out that the situation is serious not only because it infringes on individual athletes' portrait rights, but also because it has reduced the public trust built up over decades through the sweat of the Chinese national table tennis team—spanning from Long Guoting to Ma Long and Sun Yingsha—to a means of making money.

As the situation became serious, Chinese authorities also took action. The Cyberspace Administration of China punished approximately 49,000 violating accounts for producing false information using AI and impersonating public figures through a special campaign to "eradicate the misuse of AI technology." Additionally, in accordance with the 'Live Commerce Supervision and Management Measures' implemented on February 1, 2026, the manipulation of false commercial information using AI technology within live broadcasts is strictly prohibited.

Local legal and sports experts emphasized, "The problem lies in the profit-seeking chain where, even if one account is suspended, they simply change the name and score to start broadcasting again," adding that "it is urgent to establish a system at the platform level to strictly verify whether broadcast rights have been secured and the authenticity of the content."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original