Taiwanese fans point finger at China over Olympic sign confiscations

Paris, Aug. 4 (CNA) More Taiwanese spectators at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have reported having signs and banners confiscated by security staff or snatched by Chinese fans.

Sandy Hsueh (薛雅俶), the president of the Taiwanese Association in France, told CNA that three security personnel confiscated a blank piece of cardboard from her at Sunday's men's doubles badminton final, in which Taiwan's Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) defeated China's Liang Weikeng (梁偉鏗) and Wang Chang (王昶).

According to Hsueh, a staff member told her they had "received an instruction from the Olympic Games saying that anything related to Taiwan or showing Taiwan cannot appear."

"Obviously we were targeted because Chinese fans were sitting in the front row seat on the lower level holding a Chinese national flag that exceeded the size allowed by the IOC [the International Olympic Committee]," Hsueh said.

Despite reporting the oversized Chinese flag, Hsueh said venue staff took no action over the offending banner.

In addition, Hsueh said, many spectators recorded evidence of a Chinese woman holding a mobile phone, standing next to the security personnel and directing them to confiscate signs and banners from Taiwanese supporters.

Another fan took pictures of the woman thanking the staff and volunteers after the game and handing out badges to them one by one, Hsueh said.

Sunday's fracas follows similar scenes during Lee and Wang's semifinal on Friday, where a Taiwanese spectator had a banner snatched by an unknown Chinese man, who was reportedly ejected by venue staff.

According to Reuters, at the same event, a towel with the word "Taiwan" printed on it was confiscated from a Taiwanese fan by venue staff.

Hsueh said she believes that China's interference has gone beyond the scope of IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination.

A Chinese human rights activist who preferred to remain anonymous told CNA that the government in Beijing dispatches people to Olympic events in which Taiwan participates to scrutinize flags and reports them to the IOC.

Under IOC rules, spectators are prohibited from displaying flags or signs with political messages or that support entities not competing in the Olympics.

Taiwan has taken part as "Chinese Taipei" at the Olympic Games since 1984, with athletes competing under the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag.

Francois Wu (吳志中), Taiwan's representative in France, told CNA Sunday: "When facing the Chinese team, the IOC will treat Taiwan very harshly. Five-star [Chinese] flags were everywhere in the stadium, but our signs bearing even the words 'jiayou' were taken away."