Taiwan’s gold medal win over China in Olympic badminton raises tension.

New York Times ^ | 08/03/2021 | Amy Chang Chien

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At the medal ceremony for the badminton men’s doubles on Saturday, the winning players watched a flag being raised, but it was not their own. They sang as a song reverberated in the mostly empty venue, but it was not their anthem.

For decades, politics has been getting in the way of Olympic glory for Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China claims as its territory. Rather than using its formal name, the Republic of China, or even Taiwan, the island competes in international sporting events as Chinese Taipei, under a resolution passed by the International Olympic Committee. The terms prohibit the use of any symbols suggesting that Taiwan is a sovereign nation.

On Saturday, the Taiwanese badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin prevailed over Liu Yuchen and Li Junhui of China, winning Taiwan’s first gold medal in the sport. In accordance with regulations, their victory was marked by the raising of the flag it uses at the Olympics, a white banner featuring a plum blossom motif and Olympic rings, and the playing of a song known as its flag anthem, commonly used at international sporting events it attends. ​​

Tensions between the two sides had been raised even before the final, with both Lee and Wang emphasizing their Taiwanese identity on social media. In a Facebook post afterward, Lee said his gold medal was “dedicated to my country, Taiwan.”

Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s president, also congratulated the players for “winning our country’s first gold medal in badminton.”

Badminton is one of the Olympic sports traditionally dominated by China, where the state-run sports system is designed to maximize the number of gold medals in part by focusing on less prominent sports.

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POLITICS ENTERS THE OLYMPICS:

Taiwan’s badminton victory has drawn some anger on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China, as well as comments from users congratulating China on a victory that, like Taiwan itself, they see as belonging to Beijing. Others accused the badminton players of advocating Taiwanese independence and criticized them as ungrateful.

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[Fungi]

And Duranty covering for Stalin raised no “tensions?”

[Spok]

Maybe they could settle the question of Taiwan’s sovereignty with a game of badminton!

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

Here’s a gem for this thread:

Taiwan has never, and, I repeat, NEVER been a part of China! It has always been a separate and sovereign entity. ;-)

Proof? Why did not the Chinese-Communists take control of Taiwan after the revolution. They let Chiang-Kai Shek remain in power because the ChiComs realized that Taiwan was and is a separate entity.

[hinckley buzzard]

Badminton. Really. Shades of ping-pong diplomacy.

[Bogey78O]

How could he Chinese players accept the match? They should have dropped from the competition altogether as their argument is they’re competing against the Chinese team. The Taiwanese team makes no claim of association with Western Taiwan so there’s no problem for them.

[KarlInOhio]

The rebel Chinese Commie Party is getting a little uppity. I think Taiwan should reassert their sovereignty over the mainland.

[Republican Wildcat]

I fear they could face retribution back home for losing the match.

One reason my heart sank last time around when I was watching the Olympics and the North Korean girls diving team fell out of medal contention...apparently if their Olympians fail to perform, they are punished.

[libh8er]

WTH is “Chinese Taipei” ? Why can’t they say Taiwan ?

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RE: WTH is “Chinese Taipei” ?

That was a compromise to appease China. Due to pressure from the People’s Republic of China, since 1984, Taiwanese athletes have competed under the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag instead of the flag of the Republic of China

So, that name Chinese-Taipei has been used for at least 10 Olympics now -— Back when many Taiwanese still identified as Chinese.

Times have changed now, and the younger generation no longer identifies with Communist China.

But calling themselves the “Republic of Taiwan” is a recipe for war.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: North Korean girls diving team fell out of medal contention...apparently if their Olympians fail to perform, they are punished.

North Korea DID NOT even participate in this year’s Olympics.

South Korea on the other hand, has won 19 medals already.

[Mr Radical]

"Taiwan’s gold medal win over China in Olympic badminton raises tension."
Only if the Chinese and their apologists wish it.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Red China gave us the Wuhan Flu Bird, Taiwan gave them the Birdie Gold Finger. E very little bit helps.

[IAGeezer912]

Can I buy life insurance policies on the two Chinese players? I have a feeling they will pay off very soon unless they defect and stay in Taiwan.

[libh8er]

Thanks, but it was a rhetorical question. The point is all these countries are bending over backwards to appease a country that has just killed millions worldwide and completely defiant about it. It’s disgusting to watch. I understand Taiwan doing it out of fear. But what’s stopping the news media from at least putting Taiwan in brackets alongside “Chinese Taipei” when reporting medals tally ? Are they all getting paid by China or are they fearful of them ?