A referendum to request a name change for the national team from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan” for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would not affect athletes’ right to compete in the Games, a coalition of civic groups that launched the referendum said yesterday.
“Our proposed referendum is in line with the Olympic Charter, as well as the Lausanne Agreement, so it would not cause the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee [CTOC] to be suspended or lose membership, or anything that could affect our athletes’ rights,” said George Chang (張燦鍙), one of the campaigners for the referendum.
The referendum, one of 10 to be held on Saturday alongside the nine-in-one elections, has drawn repeated warnings from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since May, allegedly due to pressure from China.
Photo: CNA
The IOC said that it would not approve the name change due to the Lausanne Agreement, an arrangement it signed with the CTOC in 1981 that requires Taiwan to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei” and fly the CTOC flag at international sports events.
In a letter sent to the CTOC and the Sports Administration on Friday, the IOC reiterated that the team’s name is determined by the 1981 agreement, saying that: “Any attempt to exercise undue pressure on the CTOC to breach the 1981 agreement and/or to act against the decision of the IOC Executive Board would be considered as external interference, which might expose the CTOC to the protective measures set out in the Olympic Charter.”
While the letter raised concerns that the referendum could lead to athletes being banned from competing in the Games, Chang said that would be against the charter.
The IOC’s letter should be understood as “an expression of opinion, rather than a formal ruling on the matter,” he said.
“According to the Olympic Charter, they do not have the power to reject an application before it is submitted and we have the right to apply for a name change,” he added.
Campaign convener Yang Chung-ho (楊忠和), former director-general of the Sports Administration, said that he has “read the entire Olympic Charter and did not find any rule on any page that bans a name change.”
“There is no way submitting an application would affect the rights of athletes. Unless the CTOC pretends to be the victim and asks the IOC to suspend it, the referendum would not lead to its suspension,” he added.
Online news outlet Taiwan People News chairman Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興) said that past instances have shown that the IOC prioritizes athletes’ rights over their national Olympic committee.
When former Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Nuzman was charged with corruption, the IOC suspended the body, but the right of Brazilian athletes to compete in events was unaffected, Chen said, adding: “Taiwanese athletes would absolutely not be banned from competing in the Games.”
“We are promoting the referendum to protect the dignity of Taiwanese athletes,” he said. “When we travel abroad, who would identify themselves as coming from ‘Chinese Taipei?’ The answer is always Taiwan.”
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