Taiwanese speedskater Huang Yu-ting (黃郁婷) drew criticism after posting an Instagram video showing her wearing the Chinese speedskating team’s uniform during practice ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The incident happened two days after the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) and the Sports Administration announced that a Taiwanese delegation would attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, despite initially saying the delegation would not attend either event.
Huang late on Wednesday said on Facebook that she removed the video after “receiving too many unnecessary comments as well as messages sent to her privately.”
Photo courtesy of Huang Yu-ting via CNA
“Sport is sport. There is no nationality in the world of sports. Every athlete is a friend when we are not competing against each other,” she wrote. “You do not have to cheer for me, but remember to cheer for athletes you support. Winter sports are not popular in Taiwan, but the nation has athletes competing in the Winter Olympics. Do not forget to cheer for them. I believe they will appreciate your support.”
However, Huang’s post failed to assuage her critics.
“Sport is sport? Do not forget that your accomplishments are only possible through the use of resources funded by Taiwanese taxpayers,” one Internet user said.
“You want to be Chinese? Fine, then renounce your Taiwanese nationality and do not come back,” another said.
One suggested that Huang give her Taiwan national team uniform to a Chinese athlete to test whether her theory of “sport is sport” applies to them as well.
In response, Huang said she has only one team uniform and would not be able to compete if she gave it away.
Still, some said people should not make a fuss about Huang’s friendly gesture.
Huang was wearing an outfit given by a friend, and she did not wear it during competition, they said, adding that it was a matter of personal freedom.
Sports Administration Deputy Director-General Lin Che-hung (林哲宏) yesterday said Huang had explained the situation to leaders of the Taiwanese delegation.
“She told us that she and her friend met during training in Germany in 2016 and they were happy to be able to reunite in Beijing. She did not think much of it when she put on the clothes her friend had given her,” Lin said.
“We have accepted Huang’s apology and she remains qualified to represent Taiwan” in the Games, Lin said, adding that the Sports Administration has reminded coaches and athletes to be more cautious with their statements on social media.
CTOC vice chairman Tsai Szu-chuen (蔡賜爵) said they would remind Huang to avoid actions that could touch a nerve.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
‘WORLD’S LOSS’: Taiwan’s exclusion robs the world of the benefits it could get from one of the foremost practitioners of disease prevention and public health, Minister Chiu said Taiwan should be allowed to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an irreplaceable contributor to global health and disease prevention efforts, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. He made the comment at a news conference in Taipei, hours before a Taiwanese delegation was to depart for Geneva, Switzerland, seeking to meet with foreign representatives for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the WHA, the WHO’s annual decisionmaking meeting, which would be held from Monday next week to May 27. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation. Taiwan has much to offer to the international community’s
RSS