Affectionately known as “the new flying fish”, Pan became a national sensation during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he clinched two gold medals and propelled Chinese swimming to new heights.

Not only did he set a new world record in the men’s 100m freestyle, he also contributed to a historic victory in the men’s 4 x 100m medley relay on his 20th birthday, ending the United States’ 64-year domination of the event.

His straightforward, vivid, and sincere demeanour breaks from the traditional scripted form of most media interactions.

In one interview with state television broadcaster CCTV, he publicly criticised the food at the Olympic Village, saying: “The meat tastes like wood.”

In another interview, he openly slammed his rival, Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, for poor sportsmanship, saying: “I greeted Chalmers, but he completely ignored me.”

Chinese netizens have taken him to heart.

Their support has propelled Pan to a new level, earning him an incredible number of fans in China.

The number of followers he has on his personal Douyin account increased by 1 million within just five days of his championship win on August 1.

As the popularity of sports stars has grown, however there are growing concerns about the escalation of so-called fandom culture.

Phenomenon such as excessive spending on endorsements, irrational forms of support and online confrontations have combined to erode the traditional meaning of sport.

During the women’s table tennis finals between two Chinese athletes Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, some Chinese fans not only cheered for their favourite but also booed the other competitor, despite the fact they were both representing China.

A similar scenario played out with Olympic gold medalists in diving, Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi, who are not only competitors but also teammates and good friends.

However, after Chen won a national competition against Quan last year, Quan’s fans unleashed a barrage of verbal abuse on Chen’s social media, accusing her of “stealing” Quan’s gold medal.

Pan’s stance on the matter has been seen as a direct challenge to this toxic fandom culture.

On August 12, Pan unexpectedly disbanded his only official fan group on Weibo, a move that quickly became a hot topic which had attracted more than 250 million views online at the time of writing.

The fan group was reportedly created in 2021 when Pan was relatively unknown and it was managed by himself. It included members who genuinely loved swimming.

However, Pan’s sudden fame brought a surge of new followers to the group, which made him feel increasingly uncomfortable.

The exact number of followers in the group at the time it was closed down was not disclosed.

In an interview with CCTV, Pan mentioned the fickleness of fans who gather outside his hotel for autographs when he is doing well, but not when the chips are down.

“Achievements come from step-by-step training. When my performance was poor, they didn’t come to find me. But now they do, it feels really strange and awkward. I hope to keep a low profile and enjoy some peace and quiet,” he said.

Many people online have lauded Pan for having a “clear-head”.

“Pan is truly clear-headed. This Olympics has made him mature a lot, and he’s not wasting any energy. He’s really great and has the potential to achieve greater things,” one person said.

“Athletes are praised when they perform well, but as soon as their performance drops, they get criticised, just like what happened to (Chinese hurdler) Liu Xiang. One minute they’re fans, the next they’re haters,” said another person.

“Athletes should be focused only on the competition and please ignore everything else. Sports competitions do not need fan culture,” said a third.