Spectators at the Taipei Universiade games in August can carry Taiwan’s national flag or the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation flag to support Taiwanese teams, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
The city reiterated its position after a question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council in which Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) responded “yes” when he was asked by independent Councilor Tung Chung-yen (童仲彥) if it would be acceptable for spectators to bring the Republic of Taiwan Flag designed by pro-independence supporters.
Taipei City Government Secretary-General Su Li-Chiung (蘇麗瓊) said after the meeting that the mayor might not know the regulations on the flags that spectators may carry to the Summer Universiade.
She said the International University Sports Federation (FISU) only recognizes the national flag and the flag of the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation.
Other flags would be deemed by the federation as having a political significance, she said, adding that the federation wants students to simply enjoy sports without any political baggage.
Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang (楊景棠) said that the flags brought to the games by spectators must be a maximum 2m long and 1m wide, adding that more details would be announced in July.
The Sports Administration, said spectators can carry national flags as per the Olympic model, and the organizing committee has no right to interfere so long as spectators’ actions do not disrupt the proceedings of the games.
However, if the international games are hosted by other countries, the same model requires spectators to follow the rules set by the organizing committee in the host country, which are usually printed at the back of the tickets sold to spectators.
In the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games last year the tickets stated that spectators must not wave flags unrecognized by the International Olympic Committee.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese