The Chinese Taipei Tennis Association has signed an agreement banning Taiwan's national flag, anthem and title when its team plays China during the first round playoffs of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania division in Taiwan this April, the Chinese-language China Times reported yesterday.
Olympic-style rules will be enforced for the matches, meaning that in addition to a prohibition on displaying Taiwanese national symbols, the nation's competitors must maintain a conservative attitude and refrain from overt displays of national pride.
The association is planning to hold the matches at Chinese Culture University in Taipei. However, as the Davis Cup is sponsored by the International Tennis Federation, which is affiliated with the International Olympic Committee, it is bound by Olympic rules.
Association secretary-general Hsieh Shih-wen (謝士文) said that "without the agreement, the Chinese team certainly wouldn't come to Taiwan to play the match. They would demand to play in a third country, which might disadvantage us."
Spectators are also barred from displaying national symbols, which is sure to cause conflict with Taiwan Woo (
The move comes as the association is struggling just to persuade its best players to compete in the match. Top-ranked Lu Yen-hsun (
Li Kao-hsiang (
Li went on to say that the matches were not only a matter of national honor, but also a form of foreign diplomacy.
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