Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the removal of a spectator from the badminton venue at the Paris Olympics for holding up a green banner reading “Taiwan go for it” during a competition on Friday. Two Reuters journalists witnessed the spectator being forcibly removed up a staircase, shouting, while Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien Chen was playing India’s Lakshya Sen.
Taiwan competes at the Olympics as Chinese Taipei to avoid objections from China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory. Taiwan’s government rejects these claims.
In a statement released on Saturday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “the crude and despicable means by malicious people to arbitrarily snatch the slogan ‘Taiwan go for it’ from our country’s national during the Olympic Games. “This violent act is not only ill educated but also seriously violates the spirit of civilization represented by the Olympic Games, and it is even more contrary to the rule of law and infringes on freedom of expression”.
The statement further revealed that other fans holding banners with the word “Taiwan” on them had been removed by security. Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to France, Francois Wu, reported the incident to local police. Wu shared a picture of himself with the spectator on Facebook, writing: “Thank you to the students who have worked hard to cheer for our badminton heroes! Come on Taiwan!”.
When asked for comment, the Paris 2024 press office directed Reuters to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Green, the color of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is often used by supporters of Taiwan’s separate identity from China and, frequently, Taiwan independence. Badminton is a highly popular sport in both Taiwan and China, and fans from both countries have been present in large numbers at this Olympics. While some Taiwanese fans have opted to display the official “Chinese Taipei” Olympic flag, many in the crowd have enthusiastically shouted “Taiwan!” when players like Tai Tzu Ying have taken to the court.
