Taiwan sports minister joins Asian Games flag raising after hourlong delay

Nagoya, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taiwan's Sports Minister Lee Yang (李洋) attended an Asian Games flag-raising ceremony in Japan on Friday after an hourlong delay amid a dispute over an alleged attempt to bar him from the event.

The ceremony, held ahead of the opening of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time, with Taiwan, Timor-Leste, North Korea, India and Palestine among the delegations due to attend.

After the delegations entered the venue, however, the ceremony did not begin as scheduled, and Japanese officials subsequently asked them to return to a waiting area without giving a clear reason for the delay.

Taiwan Minister without Portfolio Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文), who was also scheduled to attend the event, told Taiwanese media at the venue that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had issued an "order" barring Lee from the ceremony.

Wu said he demanded to see the order, but officials at the venue were unable to produce it. It remains unclear whether such an order existed.

Lee and the other members of the Taiwan delegation ultimately returned to the venue and took part in the ceremony.

Lee later told CNA that "we are doing our best to safeguard our rights and do not want to be subjected to any form of suppression."

He said the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee had completed the required application process and that he did not know why the organizing committee in Japan had apparently received instructions from the OCA to exclude him.

"We hope to exercise our rights, and everything we do is reasonable and evidence-based. After our final discussions with the organizers, we were ultimately able to enter the venue and take part in the ceremony," he said.

The Asian Games will open Saturday, and Lee called on the public to follow the Games.

"We also hope more Taiwanese athletes can perform at their best and give their all at the Games, so that Taiwan can be more visible on the international stage," he added.