A screenshot of the Cycling and Fencing Management Center of GAS

The General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) has initiated an investigation into an official from its subordinate office who allegedly posted inappropriate comments during the Paris Olympic Games via his personal social media accounts, according to China Sports Daily on Tuesday.

Yuan Haoran, a deputy director of the Cycling and Fencing Management Center of GAS and former senior official with the swimming team, sparked controversies on China's social media for his comments regarding the Chinese swimming team. 

He appears to have removed some his posts that date back to 2012 on China's X-like platform Sina Weibo, however some screenshots of those posts had already been circulated among the media. After Pan Zhanle broke his own world record to clinch a historic gold in the men's 100m freestyle, one of the screenshots showed Yuan's sarcastic comment toward Pan with a laughing-crying emoji, which reads: "what more can be said? It's a human miracle."

Another screenshot of his comment showed his attempt in defending the American swimmers whose faces turned purplish-red after competition, which raised suspicions about their physical conditions among Chinese netizens. 

"The unusual color observed might be due to color distortion in the live broadcast of China's subscription-based video platform," one of Yuan's posts reads. 

Cyberspace is not beyond the reach of the law, according to GAS. The GAS is firmly committed to implementing comprehensive and strict Party governance, rigorously managing and supervising the behavior of the Party members, and severely punishing any violations of rules, discipline, or laws without leniency.

"We appreciate the attention and support from a vast number of netizens towards sports and for creating a favorable public opinion environment for the Chinese sports delegation competing in the Paris Olympics," the GAS said. 

Despite the frequent anti-doping tests and unwarranted suspicions raised by foreign media, the Chinese swimming team has finished the Paris Olympics with 12 medals and a new world record, surpassing their previous record of 10 medals at the 2012 London Olympics and making it one of the most successful performances in the team's history.