Controversy over Taiwanese speedskater Huang Yu-ting (黃郁婷) wearing the China national team’s skinsuit continued as Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) yesterday said that Huang lacked awareness of her role as the flagbearer of the Taiwanese team at the Beijing Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony last night.
Huang, one of the four athletes competing for Taiwan at this year’s Winter Olympics, faced a backlash on social media on Thursday after posting a training video of her wearing a Chinese national team skinsuit.
Hsu yesterday said that Huang’s choice of uniform was extremely inappropriate, given that she is Taiwan’s flagbearer and that the Five Eyes countries — the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia — are not sending representatives to the Games.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Hsu said Huang was free to be the commercial ambassador for a Chinese in-line skate brand, but that she made an error in judgement wearing China’s national team skinsuit.
Huang responded on Thursday, writing on Facebook that the uniform was a gift from a friend on the Chinese team.
“There is no nationality in the world of sports. Every athlete is a friend when we are not competing against each other,” she wrote.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday that it is his understanding of international sports culture that team members exchange uniforms as gifts to different national teams.
Ko suggested that since the incident has passed, “we could gift each member of the Chinese team one of Taiwan’s team uniforms.”
Huang’s father, Huang Jin-lung (黃錦龍), commented on Thursday about his hosting of an in-line skating summer camp in China in 2018.
He said that he promoted skating as a sport in different countries, and that he did not focus his efforts solely in China, nor was he doing so for profit.
Any mention of his profits were rumors, he said.
The 33-year-old Huang Yu-ting is scheduled to compete in the speed skating women’s 1,500m event on Monday, the 500m on Feb. 13, and the 1,000m on Feb. 17.
Meanwhile, announced as "Chinese Taipei," Huang and skier Ho Ping-jui (何秉睿) carried the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics at the National Stadium in Beijing last night.
Additional reporting by Kuo An-chia and CNA
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