Badminton Asia C'ships: Chiharu Shida, dubbed 'most beautiful player,' stalked

Japan's Chiharu Shida, a badminton bronze medallist from the 2024 Paris Olympics, pleaded the Chinese fans on social media to stop stalking her.

Shida is currently competing at the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships along with her partner Nami Matsuyama.

"Thank you to everyone for your continued support, but I would like to request something from all my fans," Shida wrote.

"I know it’s not all fans that are like this, and I really like China and I’m thankful for all the support from fans. Starting now, please immediately stop the stalking and similar behaviour.

"If this type of situation continues, I will have to think of a way to handle it. Finally, please focus on us in the stadium, not on our private lives. Thanks again," she added.

Who is Chiharu Shida?

Shida is a fan favourite in China and is often referred to as the "most beautiful badminton player" and "badminton goddess" on Chinese social media.

Currently ranked World No. 3 in women's doubles, Shida has faced similar situations in China earlier as well, as reported by Strait Times.

In November 2023, Shida claimed she was "stalked and intimately touched" by fans while competing at the China Masters.

The Chinese Olympic Committee took a note of Shida's latest cry for help and termed the fans' behaviour "obsessive fan culture."

"This kind of ‘low-level fan’ seems to act out of love for their idol....But they make irrational actions that endanger the normal order of the competition, public order and good customs, and endanger the spirit of sports and social morality," the National Olympic Committee said.

Not an isolated incident

The inappropriate behaviour and stalking is not restricted to badminton.

Earlier this year, British tennis star and Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu faced similar circumstances during the Dubai Championships in February. She was seen breaking down on court during a match.

Despite the inappropriate behaviour of the fans, Shida and Matsuyama have continued to march on at the 2025 Badminton Championships. They will take on Indonesia in the women's doubles quarter-finals on Friday.

As for India's presence, the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships has been a forgettable outing.

All shuttlers from the country are already out of contention with the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila being the last to bow out in the quarter-finals earlier on Friday.