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Trip to store exposes divisions in Team Taiwan

Taiwan bobsledder Lin Ruei-ming poses with the national flag in Salt Lake City, Utah, last week. PHOTO COURTESY TEAM TAIWAN

What should have been a simple shopping trip for Taiwan's Olympic athletes has turned into another "war" with bureaucracy in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A trip to the helmet store with Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee administrators descended into another argument over money.

The tiff over petty cash exposes deep divisions within the Taiwan Olympic delegation, at the halfway mark of the competition.

Team Taiwan spokesman Sam Huang (黃柳宗) said that sport had been forgotten by competing factions within the nation's Olympic delegation.

"My own countryman are waging war with each other at such a critical time. Do these people even know what sportsmanship is?"

Earlier last week the country's Olympic committee had escorted the bobsled team's athletes to a Salt Lake City store to buy helmets.

The Olympic committee administrators insisted on a heavy discount for the bobsled equipment and this led to an alleged face off with the store owners.

"It is truly embarrassing to see the representatives of the Olympic committee trying to short change the store owners," Huang said.

"I know they have the funds to purchase equipment and they act like scavengers. It is embarrassing to see my countrymen losing face in front of the people of Utah."

Huang said this was just the latest example of the difficulties the team was facing, as the nation's representatives battle with each other instead of concentrating on competing in the Games.

"I am pretty annoyed by the warfare waged by the Olympic committee and the National Council of Physical Fitness and Sport."

Huang charged the Olympic committee with shredding documents and faxes to the country's sports council and team.

"We are looked upon as the `enemy' because of our working alliance with Mr. Hsu [Hsu Chi-you (許啟祐) honorary president of the Chinese Taipei Amateur Luge and Bobsleigh Association]."

The country's Olympic preparations have been riven by bureaucratic tangling and an alleged lack of funding.

Crisis was narrowly averted when the sports council came to an 11th-hour agreement with bobsled pilot Chen Chin-san (陳金山) to reimburse him for training expenses. He had threatened to boycott the Games.

There have also been complaints the Olympic committee and sports council had reneged on an agreement to buy a bobsled and essential equipment to participate in the Games.

Even the nation's sled -- which was loaned to the team by Granite High School -- has missed its inspection date.

Sam Huang said that another inspection date would be set and they were now practising.
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