UNIVERSIADE/Taiwan condemns China over harassment of athletes at Universiade

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Taiwan's government and opposition have denounced an incident involving two Chinese individuals allegedly harassing Taiwanese athletes at the 2025 Universiade in Germany, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) calling the act a case of "political interference."

The Chinese attempt to obstruct the presentation of congratulatory messages from the Taiwanese government to medal-winning athletes was a "blatant provocation," Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) cited Cho as saying during a briefing in Taipei on Thursday.

The message of congratulations, signed by Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀), was intended for taekwondo athletes Hung Jiun-yi (洪俊義), Jung Jiun-jie (鍾俊傑) and Huang Cho-cheng (黃卓乘), who won silver in the men's team kyorugi, a form of Taekwondo, on Wednesday (local time).

The trio is part of Taiwan's national team competing at the Summer World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of Germany from July 16 to July 27.

Cho said the MOE's messages were official recognition for the athletes' outstanding performances on the international stage, and he accused the Chinese personnel of "political interference" that had disregarded the Taiwanese efforts.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also commented on the incident, saying in a social media post that he "strongly condemned" the harassment, which he said "went against" the spirit of sportsmanship and the Universiade's values of openness and respect.

Taiwanese people "will continue to face provocation and pressure with composure and confidence, earning greater understanding and respect from the international community," Lai added.

Footage shared on social media shows a man and a woman -- both believed to be Chinese, though their identities remain unclear -- attempting to prevent the head of Taiwan's Sports Administration, James Cheng (鄭世忠), from handing the messages to the athletes off the podium.

At some point, the woman questioned whether the MOE messages referred to Taiwan's team as "Chinese Taipei" and accused the Taiwanese delegation of violating the rules.

Meanwhile, James Cheng and senior sports official Lan Kun-tien (藍坤田) repeatedly intervened to prevent the pair from approaching the athletes.

As in Olympics and other international sporting events, Taiwan competes at the Universiade under the name of "Chinese Taipei" and uses a designated flag and song.

The International University Sports Federation, which organizes the Universiade, said it follows the Olympic protocols.

The current naming arrangement dates back to 1981, when the International Olympic Committee adopted the Lausanne Agreement, requiring Taiwan to compete as "Chinese Taipei" and barring its Olympic committee from using Taiwan's national flag and anthem.

Disputes over Taiwan's designation -- including references to "Taiwan" or its official name, the Republic of China -- frequently arise from Beijing's efforts to enforce its "one China" principle, under which it considers Taiwan part of its territory.

As a result, Taiwanese athletes often face political pressure or restrictions when asserting their national identity at international competitions.

In a separate statement issued on Thursday morning, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) also critiqued the incident.

"We condemn the Chinese Communist Party's intimidating actions," the KMT said, adding that the party would "continue to support Taiwanese athletes and remain steadfast in defending their dignity and safety on the global stage."

In a video statement issued earlier on Thursday, James Cheng said harassment by the Chinese delegation began after Taiwan's men's table tennis team defeated its Chinese counterpart and won gold on July 20.

He said that since then, the Chinese had sought to block him from presenting government congratulations to medalists and even protested when spectators in the audience cheered for "Taiwan."

According to the sports official, the actions on the Taiwanese side were unrelated to the rules set out by the Olympics.