Taiwanese speedskater Huang Yu-ting (黃郁婷) yesterday left a message for “haters” and “trolls” on Facebook after her participation at the Beijing Winter Olympics ended.
“Thanks to everyone who cheered for me, I have finished my second Olympics,” she wrote in Chinese shortly after midnight yesterday, hours after placing 24th in the women’s 1,000m final.
“I have left the comments open for haters and trolls to post their messages,” she wrote.
Photo: Reuters
She concluded the post in English, writing: “Those who are supporting me, please don’t leave a comment, just like the post.”
Many of the responses were what she asked for.
“You are a disgrace for kowtowing to China and showing no remorse for your stance,” one responder wrote.
Photo: AFP
“You should be thanking Taiwanese, as their taxes paid for your training, but instead you betrayed them,” another wrote.
“It is a shame to see your arrogance and that you would dare people in this manner,” another wrote.
Others said that she should remain in China.
“Huang, please take the time to find out how to obtain Chinese citizenship,” one wrote.
The post had more than 4,300 comments and more than 3,600 reactions, including Facebook’s “angry face,” as of press time last night.
The 33-year-old was criticized after a video was released of her training wearing a Chinese team uniform.
Sports officials have also drawn flak after demands that she be removed as Taiwan’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Beijing went unheeded.
Moreover, Chinese media reports said that she thanked spectators “for their warm support and for cheering for me ... like I was competing at home” after she placed 26th in the 500m.
New Power Party international center director Jerry Liu (劉仕傑) said that when the controversies began, he asked Taiwan’s Olympic committee to replace Huang as flag-bearer.
“It is a big honor to take on the duty of flag-bearer and it has political connotations,” Liu wrote on Facebook. “Her words conflicted with this duty.”
“Many people wanted Huang replaced, but the committee chose not to do so,” he wrote.
Huang performed poorly in her three events at the Games, but I did not mock her — and most others also refrained — so it was shocking that “soon after finishing her final race, Huang took to social media to pick a fight,” Liu wrote.
Huang placed 26th in her first event, the women’s 1,500m on Monday last week.
“Is this the proper behavior for our nation’s flag-bearer at the Olympics?” Liu asked.
Separately, sports officials yesterday said that Lee Wen-yi (李玟儀), Taiwan’s first female Olympic Alpine skier, would carry Taiwan’s flag at the closing ceremony tomorrow.
Lee, 19, said that she was surprised at the decision and very happy with the duty.
Lee fell on her first run in the women’s slalom, but climbed back onto her skis and completed the course.
She finished last among the 50 athletes who completed both runs, while 38 did not finish.
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