The National Police Agency (NPA) yesterday tried to deflect criticism after one of its officers stopped Taiwanese competitors at the World Police and Fire Games in Canada from displaying the Republic of China (ROC) flag at the opening ceremony.
The NPA in a statement said that it did not prevent athletes from showing the flag at the games.
It said that the Taiwanese winners of three gold and four silver medals at the games on Saturday all draped themselves in the ROC flag, and members of Taiwan’s delegation also held up flags at the award ceremony.
Photo courtesy of the National Police Agency
Wang Ling-hua (王令樺) of the Taipei City Police Department won two gold medals in the bikini fitness and physique competitions, while Hsu Hao-han (許顥瀚), a Miaoli firefighter, won a gold medal in wrestling.
The NPA’s statement came after Huang Yuh-min (黃郁閔), a member of the Taoyuan Fire Department, on Saturday wrote on Facebook that he and other firefighters were told by an NPA officer leading the Taiwanese delegation to put away the national flag during the opening ceremony in Winnipeg.
In a video uploaded by Huang, a police officer, wearing a shirt with the words “Chinese Taipei” on the back, referred to the “Olympic model” when requesting that Huang not display the national flag.
Photo courtesy of the National Police Agency
Huang said the police officer, using an “explicit threatening tone,” asked about his affiliated department, and the two filmed each other with cellphones before going their separate ways.
An earlier NPA statement issued on Saturday said that the agency is responsible for forming the team that participates in the biennial games, with the National Fire Agency assisting in the selection process.
One person from the department was selected and participated on official leave with travel expenses covered by the agency, while others from fire departments nationwide formed their own teams and attended the games at their own expense, which meant that they were not under the NPA’s supervision, it said.
The “Olympic model” refers to an agreement signed between the ROC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1981 to resolve disputes over the representation of athletes from Taiwan in international sporting events. Under the agreement, Taiwanese athletes are to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei” using the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee flag.
However, the World Police and Fire Games, which runs until Sunday, is not governed by the IOC.
The NPA on Saturday said it has been following the Olympic model since Taiwan’s delegation first participated in the competition in 1999.
The agency said that, based on experience, it is not guaranteed that the national flag would be displayed as expected during an opening ceremony or award presentations, given that each edition is organized by a different host.
It said that the delegation would make every effort to display the national flag without compromising the participants’ qualifications.
Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), who oversees the national police and fire agencies, on Saturday wrote on Facebook that there might have been a misunderstanding over the flag.
Lin said that he instructed NPA Director-General Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭) to convey his message to the delegation that they need not worry and encourage them to proudly display the national flag.
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