Shanghai Swimming Event Organizer Apologizes Over Athlete Privacy Breach

The organizer of a Shanghai open-water swimming event has apologized after intimate images of a female participant were posted on an online live photo feed and other race photos were allegedly edited and circulated maliciously.

Shanghai Datie Sports Co, organizer of the 2026 Xing-Quan Dishui Lake Swimming Challenge, said the incident was caused by management failures and exposed serious gaps in photographer oversight, image review, privacy protection and public opinion risk control.

The company said it accepted full responsibility and apologized to the affected athletes, participants and the public. It said it had ordered the photographer involved to delete all image materials, raw files and backups, and would block further circulation of the content.

The organizer said it had ended all cooperation with the photographer and placed the person on a permanent blacklist. It also said it would cooperate with legal action over maliciously edited images and unauthorized cross-platform sharing of competitors' photos.

The apology followed earlier reporting by Eastday.com. On May 26, a female participant, identified by the pseudonym Chen, told the outlet that she had received a call from the organizer's staff that morning informing her that private images of her had been taken and shared online.

Chen said she was shocked by the incident and was considering legal action against the organizer. She said she was exhausted after swimming 4 kilometers, and had not noticed that her breasts were exposed during the event.

On May 24, the organizer told Eastday.com that the photos had been deleted after it was alerted. The case quickly drew public criticism over event photo review systems and the protection of competitors' privacy, especially in mass participation sports events where official photographers and online galleries are often used to help athletes find race images.

In its June 1 statement, Shanghai Datie Sports said all event photos would be subject to review before release, with stricter checks and a ban on any private shooting or distribution of athletes' intimate images. It said it would introduce facial recognition and race-number-based access controls to reduce the risk of public exposure.

The organizer also promised to tighten photographer admission standards, require privacy and safety training, sign confidentiality agreements, define restricted shooting areas and create a faster response process for privacy violations and harmful online circulation.

The company said athlete privacy protection would be treated as a core part of event safety, alongside medical support and general competition security. It said it would follow up with affected participants and accept public supervision.