The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reiterated for the third time that it would not approve any change to the name of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC), adding that the title was determined by an agreement signed in 1981 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
National Olympic Committee (NOC) Relations and Olympic Solidarity director Pere Miro sent a letter, dated Friday, to CTOC president Lin Hong-dow (林鴻道) and Sports Administration Director-General Kao Chin-hsung (高俊雄).
The nation on Saturday is to vote in a referendum that asks whether the name of the national team competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games should be changed from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan.”
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Taipei Times
The IOC Executive Board said in a letter in May that it would not allow the Taiwanese delegation to attend the Olympic Games under a different name.
Last month, it sent another letter to express its concern about the name-change referendum.
Unlike the first two letters, which were sent only to the CTOC, Friday’s letter was sent to the CTOC and the Sports Administration.
The letter said that the IOC does not interfere in local procedures and fully respects freedom of expression, but added that the committee was reiterating that the matter fell under its jurisdiction to avoid unnecessary expectations or speculation.
“The name of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee is determined by the agreement signed between the CTOC and the IOC in 1981, and any change to the name ... is subject to the approval of the IOC Executive Board, in accordance with the Olympic Charter,” the letter said.
The IOC said its executive board examined the matter at its May meeting and confirmed that it would not approve any name change.
The 1981 agreement remains unchanged and fully applicable, it said, adding that breaching the agreement or going against the executive board’s decision would expose the CTOC to corrective measures set out in the Olympic Charter.
The Sports Administration yesterday said that its priority is to protect the athletes’ right to compete internationally and ensure that CTOC membership in the IOC does not breach the Olympic Charter.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS