Chinese figure skating athlete picked up a "Dongfeng" missile plush toy thrown into the arena by the audience after the competition, which somehow enraged some people. Since October 27, multiple foreign media outlets including Associated Press, the UK's The Guardian, and CNN have collectively reported on the so-called "Chinese skater playing with a missile plush toy given by the audience." Under the corresponding pressure, the International Skating Union (ISU) responded by claiming that it would investigate the incident.

According to reports, during the ice dance competition of the Chinese Cup Figure Skating Grand Prix held on October 25, Chinese athletes Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing picked up a plush toy marked with "DF-61" that was thrown into the arena by the audience.

During the wait for the scores, the two athletes and their coach also briefly played with the toy.

It is introduced that "DF-61" refers to the "Dongfeng-61," a new land-based intercontinental ballistic missile that was first publicly unveiled at the recent "September 3rd Military Parade." After the announcement of this missile, it received widespread popularity among the Chinese public, leading to a large number of related cultural and creative products.

Additionally, it is a tradition in figure skating for the audience to throw flowers and plush toys to the athletes as a form of encouragement, and for the athletes to display the gifts they receive, which has become a part of sports etiquette.

However, some people with ulterior motives have spoken ill of it. After the Associated Press and other media outlets concentrated on reporting the incident, the ISU replied via email on the 26th, stating that an "inappropriate" plush toy was thrown onto the ice, and said, "The ISU expressed regret over the incident and will further investigate it."

Observation Net also noticed that in the comment sections of several foreign media reports, some foreign netizens expressed strong dissatisfaction with the two Chinese skaters, even going so far as to call them "open nuclear threats." On Chinese social platforms, most netizens believed that such reactions were "overly sensitive," thinking that the plush toy was simply a common gift from the audience, representing the simple affection of the spectators for the athletes.

At present, neither the ISU nor the relevant Chinese figure skating authorities have made any further statements or responses, and the development of the situation remains to be watched.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566560154980860416/

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