2024-08-05 13:54:28
On the 2nd (local time) at the Paris Olympic badminton stadium in France, a Taiwanese woman was stopped by security personnel while waving a flag that said “Taiwan” instead of the official Olympic name, “Chinese Taipei.” In the process, there was also an incident where the flag was snatched away by a man presumed to be Chinese.
The International Olympic Committee responded by saying, “Items with political messages other than the official flag and name are prohibited from being brought into the stadium.” On the other hand, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by saying, “The despicable method of forcibly taking away cheering flags is not only violent, but also an act that undermines the Olympic spirit.”
According to Reuters and Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, on the 2nd, during the men’s doubles semifinals involving Taiwanese players, a Taiwanese female student studying abroad in France pulled out a flag with the Chinese characters for “Fighting Taiwan” written on it. The flag was shaped like the island of Taiwan and was made in green, the color of the independent Democratic Progressive Party.
At the time of the incident, Taiwanese players Li Yang and Wang Chi-lin were playing in the men’s doubles semifinals. After a while, a security guard approached him and asked him to move to the back of the gym, but he refused to leave. At that time, an Asian man, presumed to be Chinese, snatched her cheering flag, crushed it, and tried to leave hurriedly, but was caught by security guards and other spectators. A video was also posted on social media showing security guards forcibly snatching a cheering flag with the English word “Taiwan” written on it from another spectator.
According to Olympic regulations, Taiwan can only participate in international sports events under the name “Chinese Taipei” and must use the “Chinese Olympic Committee flag,” not the Taiwan flag. Also, only the flags or related items of the countries that athletes belong to can be brought into the stadium, and any other items that contain political content or are deemed to violate public order are prohibited. Regarding this incident, Mark Adams, the spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said at a press conference on the 3rd, “The conditions for entering the Olympic stadium are clearly stated on each ticket.”
The Taiwanese government immediately protested. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that day criticizing, “During the Olympics, malicious individuals used cruel and despicable methods to arbitrarily seize props used to support Taiwan.” It added, “Such violent acts are an infringement on the Olympic spirit and freedom of expression.” Regarding the fact that the spectators used the word “Taiwan,” which is not the official name of the Olympics, it refuted, saying, “There is no clear regulation prohibiting items with Taiwan inscribed on them, and we are communicating with the IOC about this.”
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who is an independent, also joined the controversy. On the 3rd, he expressed regret over the confiscation of cheering tools on social media and encouraged them, saying, “Despite IOC regulations, the world will know that our athletes are from Taiwan.” He continued, “If we are united and fearless, we can be recognized by the world,” and encouraged them, “Please shout our names loudly so that the world can continue to see.”
Beijing = Correspondent Kim Chul-jung [email protected]
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon [email protected]
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2024-08-05 13:54:28