The East Asian Olympic Committee yesterday announced that it has revoked Taichung’s right to host the first East Asian Youth Games due to “political factors” after the city had already spent nearly NT$677 million (US$22.04 million) on preparations for the event.
The government denounced what it called China’s “barbaric” interference in the committee.
The decision was made at a provisional committee meeting in Beijing yesterday, reportedly due to pressure from China, which is unhappy about a referendum proposal to rename Taiwan’s national sports team from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan” for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Photo: CNA
The committee is comprised of representatives from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Japan and Guam.
All members except Taiwan and Japan voted against Taichung retaining the right to host the Games, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Taiwan voted in favor of Taichung hosting the event, while Japan abstained, it said.
Taichung in October 2014 won the bid to host the Games, which would have been the first within the Olympic family hosted by Taiwan. They were preceded by the East Asian Games, which in 2013 transformed into a youth sports event.
The Taichung City Government said that since winning the bid, it has poured NT$677 million into planning and building facilities for the Games, in which nearly 2,300 athletes from nine nations were expected to participate.
Calling the decision regrettable, the city government urged the committee to refrain from sacrificing the rights of athletes due to political interference.
“Doing so not only runs counter to the Olympic spirit and sporting ethics, but also nullifies all of the efforts young athletes and Taichung residents have invested in the Games,” the city government said in a statement, adding that it would take the case to the international community.
The Presidential Office also expressed strong regret over the decision and Beijing’s irrational behavior.
“Sports transcend borders and are conducive to fostering mutual understanding among people from different nations and of different ethnicities. They are the best catalyst for the promotion of harmony in the international community,” it said.
The decision showed that the committee did not take the Games seriously and was subjecting Taichung to extremely unfair treatment, it added.
The ministry said it was infuriated by the decision and the damage China has caused to sporting events and exchanges for political reasons.
It said that upon learning that China was interfering with Taichung’s right to host the Games, it immediately instructed its overseas representative offices in Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Palau — which also oversees affairs in Guam — to lobby for the city to retain the Games.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to stop China’s brutal actions, but we appreciate Japan’s support,” the ministry said, urging China to leave politics out of sporting events and calling on like-minded nations to make a joint effort to stop Beijing’s destructive behavior.
Additional reporting by CNA
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS