ASIAN GAMES/"Taiwan" towel incident stirs controversy at Asian Games

Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) Tensions over Taiwan's identification at Olympic-affiliated events resurfaced last week after a spectator at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was asked to put away a towel bearing the word "Taiwan."

During Taiwan's semifinal baseball game against China on Friday, stadium staff asked a fan to put away a towel reading "Taiwan," saying it violated the Asian Games' ban on political messages.

The fan complied, but several spectators who witnessed the interaction began chanting "Team Taiwan" in protest, according to a video of the incident.

Asian Games rules require participating teams to compete under names and forms of identification approved by organizers. Taiwan competes under the name "Chinese Taipei" and uses the flag of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee.

Asian Games venues also prohibit flags representing countries or regions not participating in the Games, or items carrying political, ideological or religious messages or that could be used for protests or demonstrations.

The incident drew criticism in Taiwan, with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) writing on Facebook that Taiwan is "our home, and the name the world knows us by," and "not a political taboo."

A small victory?

Some Taiwanese spectators at Friday's game were also angered by a sign outside the venue stating that the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) flag and Japan's Rising Sun flag were not allowed inside.

By the time Taiwan and China met again in the Asian Games baseball bronze-medal game on Sunday, the signs outside the stadium had been removed, though there was no indication that the rules inside the venue had changed.

Asian Games and the IOC

The Asian Games are overseen by the Olympic Council of Asia, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the governing body for the Olympic movement in Asia. Asian Games policies and regulations therefore generally align with the IOC.

In 1981, after the United States and many other countries switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, the IOC and Taiwan's government agreed that Taiwan would compete under the name "Chinese Taipei" and use a specially designated flag.

During a similar controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympics, IOC spokesman Mark Adams cited that arrangement while explaining restrictions on political messaging, including banners referring to Taiwan, according to an NBC News report.

Adams argued that allowing exceptions would lead to questions about where the line should be drawn: "If that's allowed, then why not this? And if this is allowed, why not that?"

The rules are therefore "quite strict," given the challenge of bringing "206 national Olympic committees together in one place," Adams said, according to the report.