Nibun Chorus, an indigenous choir from Kaohsiung, on Sunday won a gold medal at the Tokyo International Choir Competition, despite political interference by Chinese representatives.
Nibun Chorus won the gold medal in the folklore music category of the three-day event, with a total of 95.9 points against fellow Kaohsiung choir Bukulavu Children Art Troupe and Nantou County’s Sinapalan Bunun Children’s Choir, as well as seven other choirs from around the world.
Sunday’s victory followed an incident that started the day before involving the recognition of Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of the Nibun Chorus via CNA
In the middle of the second day of the competition, event organizers asked Taiwanese teams if they would consent to the removal of the Taiwanese national flag at the event and to compete as “Chinese Taipei.”
The Nibun Chorus conductor wrote on Facebook that the organizers suddenly announced during their practice that after “receiving a complaint,” it was asking Taiwan to take down its official flag and that teams from Taiwan would be announced as competing from “Chinese Taipei.”
The teams had been announced as from Taiwan during the first two days, he added.
Although the organizers “asked” Taiwan about the changes, the request did not seem reasonable, which was why the choir contacted the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan for assistance, he said.
The office said it approached the competition organizers late on Saturday to address the incident.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), who accompanied Taiwan’s choirs, as well as Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Keiji Furuya, voiced opposition to the changes with the organizers.
Nevertheless, on Sunday, the organizers announced the three Taiwanese choirs as coming from “Chinese Taipei,” but decided to remove the flags of all competing countries, not just Taiwan.
Teams from Taiwan had been using the name “Taiwan” since the competition’s inception in 2018. On the event’s official Web site, Taiwanese choirs are still identified with the Taiwan national flag.
Upon being named the winner of the folklore music category, members of Nibun Chorus made a gesture with their hands in front of their chests similar to what Taiwanese baseball player Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) did in November last year after hitting a home run that turned out to be crucial to Taiwan’s victory at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12.
“There are no words there, but everyone gets it,” one member of the Taiwan baseball team said at the time, referencing the lack of “Taiwan” on the nation’s uniforms when competing at the Premier12 final in Tokyo last year.
The name “Chinese Taipei” has been commonly used to refer to Taiwanese teams in international sports events, especially at the Olympics and in sports in the Olympic family since 1981.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS