Xiong’s social media presence attracts millions of fans
Xiong Dunhan, a center forward in the Chinese women’s water polo team, has a huge fan base on China’s social media platforms. She often posts her life and training with the national team on Weibo, a twitter-like platform, and has amassed over two million followers. She also has a presence on Instagram, where she has 1.5 million followers.
Xiong said she wants to use her online influence to promote water polo, a sport that is not well-known or well-received in China. “I’ve always been trying to promote water polo by displaying the unity and happiness of our team on social media. In this way, we can open this sport to the public,” she said in an interview with Xinhua.
Xiong hopes to inspire more young people to try water polo
Xiong, who is 23 years old, started training in water polo at the age of 11. She said she loves the sport for its teamwork and confrontation. “Water polo has given me a lot of unique experiences. If let me choose again, I would still prefer to be a water polo player,” she said.
She also hopes to inspire more young people, especially girls, to try water polo for themselves. “Sport has no boundaries. They don’t have age, gender, race or cultural limits. Everybody can participate. That’s the easiest way to form a communication between different countries, and to foster interconnection,” she said.
She said she was encouraged by the increasing number of spectators who came to watch the water polo matches at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where China is seeking to win its fourth consecutive gold medal in the event. “In the past, there were few spectators in domestic water polo competitions. But since the World University Games in Chengdu, we have seen more and more audiences coming on site,” she said.
Xiong aims to win gold at home tournament and boost water polo’s popularity
Xiong is one of the key players in the Chinese women’s water polo team, which has dominated the Asian Games since 2010. She helped China win the gold medal at the 2021 World University Games in Chengdu, where she was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
She said she is eager to defend the title at the home tournament in Hangzhou and extend China’s winning streak. “If we win reach the top of podium here, I believe it will be the best way to promote water polo in China,” she said.
She also said she wants to use her voice and platform to promote a healthy lifestyle that includes changing beauty standards and promoting confidence and health. “I always want to speak out about health. I want to promote sports. And I just want everybody to be confident and happy,” she said.
