Legislators yesterday pressured Sports Administration Director-General Lin Te-fu (林德福) to take a tougher stance on speaking up for Taiwanese rights, freedom of expression and for fans’ enthusiasm cheering of the nation’s athletes at this year’s Taipei Summer Universiade.
Lin, appearing at the Education and Culture Committee, said that 49 of the planned 53 Taipei Universiade competition sites have been completed.
He praised Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) for doing a good job of drumming up publicity for the Games, which are to be held from Aug. 19 to 30.
However, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) asked Lin to stand up for Taiwanese rights and freedom of expression, and to allow fans to wave national flags, write slogans and display other items to create a lively atmosphere at the event.
“We understand the need to balance freedom of expression and following regulations,” Wu said, “but, as the Universiade Games are being held here in our nation, I do not see how officials can stop our fans from using our national flag at venues to cheer on competitors.”
Lin said he had spoken with International University Sports Federation officials, who are in charge of Universiade events, and they said that general political slogans are prohibited.
“We have to follow the ‘Olympic model’ for international competitions,” he added.
However, Wu said that regulations for Univsersiade events and most international tournaments do not apply to ticket-holding spectators.
She said that many fans attending the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung displayed the national flag and wore clothing and headwear with patriotic symbols and that event went ahead without major problems.
“Spectators will be permitted to display the national flag at Univsersiade events,” Lin said.
Wu showed the committee a Bravo Bear (熊讚) official Taipei Universiade mascot wearing a national flag and the slogan “Taiwan is Taiwan” (台灣就是台灣).
“This is what some Taiwanese fans will bring to the Games to cheer for our nation’s athletes. Do you think this is political slogan,” Wu asked.
“Where do you draw the line? What if some people are concerned about human rights in China, and they put on Bravo Bear with the slogan ‘Release Lee Ming-che (李明哲),’ can they do that?” he asked.
Other DPP legislators said Lin should designate protest zones outside Games venues, as a number of activist groups plan to hold demonstrations to demand “Taiwan” is used at domestic and international sporting events instead of “Chinese Taipei.”
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to