Three US Representatives on Thursday urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to stop requesting Taiwan to join the Olympic Games using the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北) in a letter addressed to committee president Thomas Bach.
Not only do Taiwanese athletes have to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei,” but Taiwan’s national flag and national anthem are also barred as the committee “capitulated to pressure from communist China,” US representatives Tom Tiffany, Andy Ogles and Chris Smith said in the letter.
“This is not just unfair, it violates the core tenets of the Olympic Charter,” they said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The charter states: “Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination,” and “sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality.”
Taiwan “has never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China, or part of its territory for even a single day,” they said.
However, Taiwan is unable to be called by its own name while athletes from Puerto Rico and Bermuda do not have to compete as territories of the US or the UK respectively, they said.
Puerto Rico and Bermuda are allowed to use their own flags at the opening ceremony and during medal award presentations, they added.
The US lawmakers described the treatment as “uniquely irrational Taiwan-specific restrictions,” adding that there have been reports of Taiwanese fans being banned from waving national flags at Olympic venues.
“This makes no sense,” they said.
They called on Bach and other IOC officials to “resist China’s persistent bullying and consider sweeping away these discriminatory restraints on Taiwan’s athletes and supporters before the Paris Summer Games begin later this year.”
The Games are to take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.
After Taiwan left the UN in 1971, its Olympic committee and other sports associations were excluded from the IOC and various international sports organizations due to Beijing’s oppression, Taiwan’s Olympic committee said.
The title of Taiwan’s national team, and its flag and emblem, in the Games were approved and recognized by the IOC according to an agreement it reached with Taiwan’s Olympic committee in 1981 in Lausanne, Switzerland, it said.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS