During the recent Straits Cup basketball tournament in Hualien on Sept. 6, some spectators waved the national flag to express their support for the Taiwanese teams. Unfortunately, this was stopped by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) staffers, who got into a heated argument with the crowd.
I feel sad for the CTBA. After the flag flap, CTBA officials said the tournament must follow the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and that they prevented spectators from waving the national flag to avoid unnecessary problems.
Not only did this incident reveal how ignorant they are of IOC regulations, but it also humiliated Taiwan and insulted its status as an independent nation.
Putting aside the populist aspects and sticking only to regulations, I will begin by clarifying the IOC formula.
After Taiwan withdrew from the UN in 1971, Taiwan's Olympic Committee and other Taiwanese sports organizations were excluded from the IOC and other international sports organizations as a result of Chinese pressure.
Later, after all-out efforts by Taiwan's Olympic Committee and Taiwanese IOC member Henry Hsu (徐亨), Taiwan was finally once again recognized by the IOC after signing an agreement accepting the name "Chinese Taipei" and agreeing to use the Olympic flag and anthem when taking part in international sporting events.
Since then, our athletes have been able to participate in many international sports events and to compete with athletes from other countries and win honors both for individual athletes and for the nation.
On March 23, 1981, the IOC and Taiwan's Olympic Committee signed an agreement in Lausanne, Switzerland, guaranteeing the rights and duties of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) in the IOC. Apart from stipulating that Taiwan has to use the Olympic flag and anthem, the agreement also stated that Taiwanese athletes may enter the Olympic Games as part of the "T" group, "T" standing for Taiwan.
Taiwan has been abused by China many times over in various contexts.
The nation's individual sports associations are unable to reason with China and the Olympic committee formula is extended to all sporting events.
Generally speaking, if the Olympic formula is to be applied to a competition, it extends to the tournament's competition venues, training facilities, meetings, ceremonies, athletes' villages, accommodation for other participants and VIPs, competition documentation, booklets and information as well as media broadcasting.
It must be understood that the Olympic formula does not extend to circumstances outside those mentioned above. In other words, the IOC regulations do not prevent spectators bringing flags to venues.
When the CTBA stopped members of the audience from waving the national flag, they distorted the intent of the Olympic formula, which is deeply regrettable. I hope that similar incidents will not happen again and that the CTBA will never again treat the audience in such an outrageous way.
Taiwan is our home. Regardless of whether we call it the "Republic of China" (ROC) or "Taiwan," we should be proud of its democratic and economic achievements.
We can further strengthen our national identity by paying our highest respects to the people who bravely waved the national flag in Hualien earlier this month.
Kao Chi-ming is a associate researcher at the National Applied Research Laboratories.
Translated by Lin Ya-ti
A gap appears to be emerging between Washington’s foreign policy elites and the broader American public on how the United States should respond to China’s rise. From my vantage working at a think tank in Washington, DC, and through regular travel around the United States, I increasingly experience two distinct discussions. This divergence — between America’s elite hawkishness and public caution — may become one of the least appreciated and most consequential external factors influencing Taiwan’s security environment in the years ahead. Within the American policy community, the dominant view of China has grown unmistakably tough. Many members of Congress, as
After declaring Iran’s military “gone,” US President Donald Trump appealed to the UK, France, Japan and South Korea — as well as China, Iran’s strategic partner — to send minesweepers and naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. When allies balked, the request turned into a warning: NATO would face “a very bad” future if it refused. The prevailing wisdom is that Trump faces a credibility problem: having spent years insulting allies, he finds they would not rally when he needs them. That is true, but superficial, as though a structural collapse could be caused by wounded feelings. Something
Former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founding chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday, making headlines across major media. However, another case linked to the TPP — the indictment of Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) for alleged violations of the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) on Tuesday — has also stirred up heated discussions. Born in Shanghai, Xu became a resident of Taiwan through marriage in 1993. Currently the director of the Taiwan New Immigrant Development Association, she was elected to serve as legislator-at-large for the TPP in 2023, but was later charged with involvement
Out of 64 participating universities in this year’s Stars Program — through which schools directly recommend their top students to universities for admission — only 19 filled their admissions quotas. There were 922 vacancies, down more than 200 from last year; top universities had 37 unfilled places, 40 fewer than last year. The original purpose of the Stars Program was to expand admissions to a wider range of students. However, certain departments at elite universities that failed to meet their admissions quotas are not improving. Vacancies at top universities are linked to students’ program preferences on their applications, but inappropriate admission
RSS