Flying of ROC flag irks Chinese rollerskaters

Chinese rollerskaters vowed yesterday to quit the Ninth Asian Roller Skating Championship if the ROC flag isn't removed from outside the event's venue.

The competition is currently underway in Taitung. Organizers of the event had agreed not to display the flag inside the stadium.

But the flags have appeared outside the venue -- apparently upsetting the Chinese rollerskaters.

Wang Hsiao-lin (王筱麟), captain of the Chinese team, threatened to withdraw from the competition if the event's hosts failed to remove the ROC flags from surrounding streets.

Chen Chien-hsien (陳劍賢), executive director of the event and head of Taitung County's education bureau, said event organizers had followed International Olympic Committee regulations to the letter.

But nothing could be done to prevent local residents from expressing their patriotism -- especially with the national holiday approaching on Oct. 10, Chen said.

"Protecting our national dignity is more important than hosting the competition," he said.

Chen added that he wouldn't urge the team to stay if it continued to make an issue of the flags.

In 1999, the Asian Roller Skating Confederation chose "Chinese Taipei" as the host of this year's competition.

The Chinese roller-skating team had asked that Taiwan host the event in accordance with International Olympic Committee regulations. Those rules state that the ROC flag may not be displayed inside the event's stadium.

Because of pressure from China, Taiwan is forced to use the name "Chinese Taipei" and the flag of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee when participating in international sports organizations.

County government officials complained yesterday that the Chinese team has been too uptight over the flag and other issues.

The team from China also demanded that the Executive Yuan not be mentioned in connection with the introduction of Shiu Yi-hsiung (許義雄) at the competition's opening ceremony.

As head of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under the Executive Yuan, Yu is the event's honorary president.

The Chinese team also instructed event organizers to tell hotel workers to remove any flags from their sight.

Upset with the behavior of their guests, the Taitung County Council yesterday passed a motion urging residents to hoist more ROC flags near the stadium.

Council deputies said the motion was aimed at letting the Chinese team know that Taiwan was an independent sovereign state.

"The national flags of all participating countries -- including China's -- are flying around the stadium," said Wu Chun-li (吳俊立), speaker of the council. "I know that ours is not allowed to be flown, but can't we put up our own flags in our own territory?"

The championship, attended by 10 members of the Asian Roller Skating Confederation, ends today.