Taiwan denies blocking Chinese athletes ahead of World Masters Games

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) Amid reports that some of the 500 Chinese athletes seeking to take part in the World Masters Games could withdraw due to difficulties entering Taiwan, the event organizer said Thursday that entry applications are still being processed, with the authorities confirming around half have been approved.

With this year's World Masters Games set to start in Taipei and New Taipei on May 17, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported Thursday that some athletes from China have complained they have seen no progress with their applications to enter Taiwan.

The report also said that Chinese athletes are facing difficulties leaving China, as Chinese authorities have claimed to be unaware of the event in Taiwan and are obstructing participation.

As a result, some athletes might have to reroute through Hong Kong or Macau to enter Taiwan, a complication that will cause trouble for them and could lead to their withdrawal, the report observed.

Kuo Yin-lan (郭音蘭), spokesperson for the World Masters Games, said Thursday that around 25,000 athletes have registered to participate, with athletes from China accounting for about 2 percent.

Under relevant regulations, their entry applications must be submitted to Taiwan's central government for approval, and the authorities are currently processing them, Kuo said.

To visit Taiwan for tourism purposes, only Chinese nationals who are studying or residing in a third country are currently allowed entry by Taiwanese authorities, while individual and group travel from China to Taiwan have been banned by the Chinese authorities since mid-2019 and early 2020, respectively.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top government agency for cross-strait affairs, confirmed late Thursday its role in reviewing whether the registered athletes from China are eligible to enter Taiwan and meet relevant security requirements.

At a news briefing in Taipei, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that a total of 555 Chinese individuals have registered for the Games, with around 230 having been issued entry permits to enter Taiwan as of Thursday.

"We have adopted a supportive approach to help individuals from China, who are not part of an official delegation, enter Taiwan," Liang said, noting that the World Masters Games is not a competition based on national representation, as athletes register individually.

It is not like other major international events such as the Asian Games or Universiade, where participants compete as part of national teams, Liang added.

However, he noted that the MAC can only issue entry permits for those Chinese nationals to enter Taiwan, they still need approval from the Chinese authorities to leave China.

"This has happened before in other cases -- we often approved certain individuals [to enter Taiwan], but they end up unable to come because the Chinese side did not grant them permission [to leave China]," Liang said.

The MAC has not heard of any specific policies from the Chinese authorities targeting Chinese individuals planning to participate in the Games or suggesting that such participation is considered illegal, he said.

"Since the World Masters Games is purely a sporting event, I believe there should not be any politically motivated obstruction," Liang added.

First held in 1985, the World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years for athletes aged 30 and above from around the world, with the 2025 edition marking the first time the event will be hosted by cities in Taiwan, according to the International Masters Games Association.