The Diffusion Mechanism of Internet Rumors in the Context of Major International Sports Events: The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an Example

Against the proliferation of Internet rumors, major international sports events have become one of the most critical scenarios for rumor breeding and dissemination. An empirical analysis of the rumor-spreading process of the 35 cases of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games reveals that “mainstream media involvement” and “China-related stereotypes” are important factors contributing to the rumor spreading process. During major international sporting events, rumor texts with a lower “distortion level” are more confusing, and official responses to rumor spreading have a limited effect in curbing the spread of rumors. An in-depth understanding of the main drivers of rumor spreading during major international sports events and the intense international public opinion struggle is of great significance in preventing and resolving the risk of rumors in the context of major international sports events.