Sawt Falasteen - Party's over: China tells fans to end birthday blowouts for sport idols

In China, as well as other Asian countries like South Korea and Japan, fans often organise huge displays or events to commemorate their favourite celebrities' birthdays.

In November, festivities for table tennis world champion Sun Yingsha's 25th birthday included messages on massive digital billboards, a drone show and packed fan gatherings at shopping malls across the country.

But such lavish displays now appear to have fallen foul of Chinese authorities.

On Sunday, state media reported that an unnamed manager at China's General Administration of Sport had recently asked fans "to stay rational... and refrain from organising and participating in activities such as athlete birthday celebrations".

"Such events not only use up a great portion of public resources but can also easily interfere with athletes' preparations for competitions," the official said according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Organisers' unauthorised use of the athlete's image may also infringe upon their rights, the person said, adding that fans should instead cheer them on in competition.

Adulation towards China's sports stars has included fans obsessing over athletes' personal lives and sometimes cyberbullying.

State media have called such behaviour "toxic fandom" and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST