Taiwan’s presence at the Paris Olympics isn’t all about the medals its athletes have racked up in badminton, skeet shooting, gymnastics and boxing. The sight of security guards and other spectators snatching signs and items away from Taiwanese fans is also grabbing global attention.
On Saturday, during the badminton men’s doubles semifinal between Taiwanese shuttlers Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang and their Danish opponents, a spectator’s green towel with the word Taiwan on it was taken from him by a security guard during the match.
Meanwhile, several videos circulating on social media showed a man who, believed to be a Chinese national, ripping a poster shaped like Taiwan from a Taiwanese woman’s hands and tearing it into pieces. The man was also taken away by security guards.
On Monday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry called on French authorities to investigate the incident, which it described as “violent and against the Olympic values of friendship and respect.”
Taiwanese spectators and analysts say the incidents highlight the tremendous pressure Taiwan has long faced from China.
“Taiwan’s international space continues to be suppressed by China over the last few years and these suppressions are also emerging in the sports arena,” Chiaoning Su, an associate professor of journalism and communication at Oakland University, told VOA by phone.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and says it must return to Chinese control -- by force if necessary. Beijing also works to limit Taiwan’s international space and recognition, blocking it from participating in global organizations.
Despite being widely recognized as Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy competes at the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei,” a compromise that the government of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, reached with the International Olympic Committee, IOC, in 1981. That agreement allows athletes from Taiwan to compete but only using a non-political flag and without a national anthem.
The white flag that Taiwan carries at the games bears some elements of its official flag and the Olympic rings.
Under rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, the restrictions also apply to Taiwanese spectators, which prohibit any demonstration or political, racial and religious propaganda at Olympic venues.
Despite those restrictions, Taiwanese spectators continue to find ways to cheer on their athletes, such as using images of bubble tea or Mandarin characters like they did during the men’s doubles final between Taiwan’s Wang and Lee and their Chinese opponents on Sunday – won by Wang and Lee, incidentally.
BB, a 33-year-old Taiwanese artist who helped to design a banner featuring a cup of bubble tea and the cartoon-style Wang and Lee, told VOA that she was happy to see her art playing a role in Taiwanese people’s attempt to bypass restrictions at the Paris Olympics.
“A Taiwanese girl in Paris asked me to design a sign for the men’s doubles final, so I drew a cup of bubble tea to represent Taiwan and discretely put two tiny Taiwan maps on the shirts and rackets of Lee and Wang in that poster,” she said.
BB says she hopes her art can help some Taiwanese spectators in Paris not to be bothered by the frustration that comes with the restrictions they face.
Despite Taiwanese spectators’ efforts, some videos on social media platform X, showed that signs with the phrase “Let’s Go” in Mandarin were still confiscated by security guards at the venue.
Some Taiwanese spectators described the screening of signs bearing elements related to Taiwan as “outrageously broad-based” and that it felt like Taiwanese people were being “specifically targeted.”
“One Taiwanese guy was asked by a security guard to either cover up the word ‘Taiwan’ on his shirt or take off his shirt, so in the end, he used tape to cover up the six letters,” Sandy Hsueh, the president of the Taiwanese Association in France, told VOA by phone.
In her view, such targeted moves are out of proportion and “totally unfair.”
In a written response to VOA, the IOC said all interested parties fully support the approach laid out by the agreement reached in 1981 and the agreement’s terms remain “fully applicable.”
While Taiwanese people face a wide range of restrictions at the Olympic venues in Paris, some say their efforts to push back against the restrictions have earned the support and sympathy of other foreign spectators.
“Some foreigners would ask us why the security guards were taking away our stuff and after listening to our explanation, they would start cheering for the Taiwanese athletes,” Betty Hsiao, a 35-year-old journalist who is attending the games in Paris, told VOA by phone.
She said that since Taiwanese people are already used to facing China’s international suppression, they know how to seize opportunities to highlight Taiwan’s unique identity.
“After Lee and Wang won the gold medal on Sunday, many Taiwanese people were chanting ‘Team Taiwan’ because the security guards couldn’t stop us from doing that, and during the award ceremony, many Taiwanese people were singing along with the anthem,” Hsiao added.
Oakland University’s Su says that creativity and resilience of the fans shows they are still finding a way to survive in the tiny space Taiwan has internationally.
