Olympics: Team Taiwan says it is going to be at Beijing Games opening ceremony

Chinese-claimed Taiwan has feared Beijing may “downgrade” Taiwan’s standing by placing its athletes alongside these from Chinese-run Hong Kong on the opening ceremony, a senior Taiwan official accustomed to the matter informed Reuters final week.

Sub-tropical Taiwan, which has no winter sporting custom and has by no means gained a medal on the winter Games, is sending 4 athletes to Beijing, the identical quantity because the final winter Games in 2018. Taiwan had mentioned on Friday the group wouldn’t be on the opening or closing ceremonies, blaming delayed flights and hard anti-COVID-19 guidelines.

But Taiwan’s Olympic committee mentioned late Monday it had acquired “several notices” from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “requiring all delegations to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to cooperate in sending personnel to attend the opening and closing ceremonies”.

Based on its respect of the Olympic spirit and after discussions with Taiwan’s Sports Administration, they may “adjust” the plan and “cooperate with the policy to send staff to attend the opening and closing ceremonies”.

It didn’t say how lots of the 15-member group, together with trainers, can be there. The Beijing Games are taking place amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, together with repeated Chinese army exercise close to the island.

Taiwan competes in most sporting occasions, together with the Olympics, as “Chinese Taipei” on the insistence of Beijing, which sees democratically ruled Taiwan as a part of “one China”. On Wednesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office referred to Taiwan’s group as being from “China, Taipei”, slightly than the official terminology of “Chinese Taipei”. That drew a rebuke from Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council, which mentioned China deliberately used the flawed identify.