Taiwan and Its Olympic Flag
During the Olympics “Chinese Taipei” will be represented by a group of athletes put in a terribly awkward position. On the one hand, they represent Taiwan, while on the other they most decidedly do not represent the “Republic of China,” which as everyone not in the Bush administration knows, does not exist. This begs the question: what flag will they fly at the Opening Ceremony, and in the case that the team wins any medals.
I’m glad you asked that! As it turns out, Chinese Taipei has a special flag during the Olympics. It represents neither Taiwan nor Mainland China, but rather Imaginary Land. What a fantastic compromise! How did all of this come about? Again, glad you asked!
Here is what the Chinese Olympic Committee, which sadly identifies itself as “COC” and has the word “Chinese” misspelled at the very top of their website, has to say on Taiwan’s Olympic participation:
The COC representatives reaffirmed the basic principle at the meeting: There is only one China in the world, and that is the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan is part of Chinese territory. Based on this principle, the IOC should recognize only one NOC for China, and that is the Chinese Olympic Committee with its headquarters in Beijing and representing the amateur athletes of the whole country.
However, in consideration of the actual situation in Taiwan and in order that the athletes there would have the opportunity to take part in international competitions, the COC agreed that the sports organization in Taiwan might stay in the IOC, on condition that it would not attach “Republic of China” to its name, nor use the appellation of “Taiwan” independently. Nor would it be allowed to use its “national flag” and “national anthem” and anything symbolic of the “Republic of China.” The COC’s approach was considered realistic and acceptable to many IOC members.
Okay, you are saying, they don’t get their own flag, but how did they end of with this concoction? Here is the partial explanation from the World Games website (they also cite “COC”!):
When athletes from Taiwan carried their flag onto the stage for the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, they marched with other countries that began with the letter ‘T.’ Officially, they did not represent Taiwan, they represented ‘Chinese Taipei.’
The athletes did not carry the flag of the Republic of China (ROC), which had been used in Olympic Games up until the 1970s, but rather the official Chinese Taipei Olympic flag sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. This flag is white with a blue and red outline of a five-pedaled flower, wrapped around a small white sun enclosed in a blue background–the symbol found on the ROC flag–with the five Olympic rings below.
China is not the only countrie(s) to have embraced creative methods when trying to project a national identity to the world. You may remember North and South Korean athletes walked together in the Sydney opening ceremony, and then promptly had 639 round of Six-Party Talks. (Shouldn’t they be five parties? I mean there’s only one Korea, right?)
These examples have recently re-surfaced as other countries are beginning to examine the role fiction and bogus flags can play in the world’s premier sporting event. The movement toward wishful thinking among the world’s leaders has been dubbed as “The Olym
pic Spirit.”
Only this year Germany petitioned the IOC to have Great Britain, France and Holland participate in the Games under the German red, black and yellow. Similarly, Spain is hopeful that South America will participate under the name “Western Spanish Territories.”
Where does America weigh in on this one? One World, One Flag.
Larry responds:
Posted: February 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 pm →
If Olympic Games are really apolotical, Taiwan team should be able to call itself Republic of China and carry it’s own national flag. Forbidding Taiwan team to do so is the most significant action by China to politicize the Games.
Any Chinese wants to de-politicize the games should start there.
Ben Ross responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2008 at 12:14 am →
Anybody know if Kosovo is planning on fielding a team? If nothing more than just to spite Serbia. As for Taiwan, the way I’ve always understood it is that from China’s perspective, Taiwan…excuse me Chinese Taipei, is a separate Olympic team in the same sense that Hong Kong and Macau are still separate Olympic teams. Even though HK and Macau are now indisputably under the Chinese flag they were allowed to continue their own Olympic programs. At least they were for 2004. Not 100% sure about 2008 though.
Stuart responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2008 at 11:55 am →
Whatever bullshit Beijing emits over ‘one China’, this official position will certainly not be reflected in competition between Chinese and Taiwanese athletes at the Games. In these scenarios, you will witness a nationalistic outpouring as potent as taking on an athlete from Japan. This in turn reflects the mainland view that Taiwan needs to be punished for its ‘wayward’ tendency. So much for one world, one dream, one China.
Janus responds:
Posted: February 24th, 2008 at 4:53 pm →
Great post.
If there ever was any proof that the PRC wanted to politicize the Olympic games for the gain of their own unsavory regime, it would be this.
José responds:
Posted: April 24th, 2008 at 12:15 pm →
The US should officially re-recognize the Republic of China commonly known as Taiwan as an sovereign country and have formal relations, nothing like AIT and TECRO.
Jay responds:
Posted: July 27th, 2008 at 4:30 pm →
great observations! I’ve always thought it was outrageous that the Chinese impose their will on Taiwan - and that the rest of the world allows them to do so. If I was Taiwan I would carry a blank flag in protest.
Taiwan’s Olympic “Appearance” | Cynematik • Cyndi Greening responds:
Posted: August 11th, 2008 at 1:28 am →
[...] rings and their star. (You can read an excellent summary of the Olympic Committee position at Cup of Cha — formerly Daily Tea Leaves.) One of my former students, Shwuing was from Taiwan. I find myself [...]
Shawn responds:
Posted: August 11th, 2008 at 7:16 am →
If china wants to “save safe” for themselves, they need to stop controlling what others need to do. From the time of constructing Olympics and going through the games, china has not stopped with its rules against other countries; Free Tibet protesters are arrested and deported, Gold Medalists in different countries HAVE BEEN BANNED BECAUSE THEY PARTICIPATE IN DARFUR FREEDOM, and Taiwan has to be submissive with the flag.. That’s ridiculous.
UN knows this crap very well, but they can’t do anything because “they’re afraid that china will destroy the countries with million men marching. Guess what? It’s about quality of military, not quantity.
TRey responds:
Posted: August 14th, 2008 at 10:13 pm →
This article was great, but towards the end it was just ignorant. The island of Taiwan has always been part of China. ALWAYS!!! It was seperated during the Japan invaded China. The Taipei people lost the civil war and went to the Island to hide and later try to established a new country. It’s almost like Robert E. Lee lost the the civil war and go to Hawaii to established itself there even Hawaii is part of the U.S. What’s wrong with China take what’s belong to them. There is no such thing as Taiwan. Taiwan is China.
Lily responds:
Posted: August 15th, 2008 at 3:17 am →
Taiwan can never be reverted back into a Chinese province. It is a true democracy, with the population voting in and out various leaders, including their President. China on the other hand has always been ruled autocratically, first by corrupt emperors, then the corrupt Communist Party- neither of which can be voted out. Culturally, the Taiwanese have also diverged, having absorbed many Japanese customs during Japan’s 50 years of occupation. The Taiwanese have always been of independent spirit and mind, they can’t be herded around and ordered to obey, like large bunches of Chinese sheep.
Ayu responds:
Posted: August 18th, 2008 at 2:52 am →
I disagree with TRey. You can’t say Taiwan was ALWAYS part of China. Like the United States, Taiwan has always had/have indigenous people, who don’t even speak Chinese or Taiwanese. And unfortunately, like the Native Americans’ land was stolen from them, settlers from other countries also drove the Aborigines away forcing them to live in the mountians. Also, Taiwan was made into a Dutch colony before the Chinese took over.
Yes, the majority of Taiwanese people originate from Chinese ancestry, but so do many other Asian countries like Vietnam. And China probably would like Vietnam to become part of them, especially north Vietnam, where the majority are Chinese. And I’m sure that many Americans support the independence for Taiwan because it is a democratic nation, but with China’s rising economy and important businesses with the US, it’s difficult to actually declare Taiwan’s independence.
To say that Taiwan has always been part of China is like saying the United States has always been part of Great Britain.
Steve Brown responds:
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 12:55 am →
Over the last 300 years mainland China exerted direct administrative control over Taiwan for a period of less than 5 years, during which time it “gave” Taiwan to Japan. At the end of the second world war Japan agreed to release Taiwan and allow it to become an independent nation. China had of course already ceded it’s claim to Taiwan when the Dowager Empress gave it to Japan, assuming she ever really possessed Taiwan in the first place. China never considered Taiwan of any importance whatsoever until (1) China lost face over the Nationalists retreat to Taiwan and until (2) Taiwan’s economic development in the 1980’s made it appear as a desirable resource to China. After a long period of military rule by the Nationalists Taiwan achieved a freely elected democratic government, which as was pointed out above, is more than mainland China can say.
samantha responds:
Posted: September 3rd, 2008 at 3:14 am →
it is brilliant no need to change a thing wee there is please put in why the olympic flag is the way it is there is nowhere else i can get it
Maria responds:
Posted: October 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 am →
Taiwan is sssssssssooooooooooo an indepent country. And it always has been because it was part of China but know it’s not. And I think this happened because the people who lived in Taiwan didn,t want to be ruled by China just because it’s a bigger country than them. So they had their Civil War and they were free from Chinese rule.And now they are a providence. And of course they are independent