Taiwan warns it may not send team to 1st Gay Games in Asia – Focus Taiwan News Channel
Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan may not send a national team to the first ever Gay Games in Asia next year due to fears for the safety of Taiwanese athletes in Hong Kong, the organization that sends the country’s delegation told CNA Friday.
The move is being considered because of concerns there could be Chinese reprisals if Taiwanese athletes were to wave Taiwan’s national flag or compete under the name “Taiwan,” said Taiwan Gay Sports and Movement Association (TGSMA) Chairperson Yang Chih-chun (楊智群).
Unlike the Olympics, Taiwan’s athletes first competed in the Gay Games under the name “Taiwan” since 2018 when the event was held in Paris, Yang said.
“The presence of the national flag and the country’s name ‘Taiwan’ instead of ‘Chinese Taipei’ to be included in the event in Hong Kong does not seem promising,” Yang said.
“We think the safety of Taiwanese athletes is a priority, and if our rights and safety cannot be fully protected, I’m afraid I must refuse to lead the team to participate in the Gay Games.”
The imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong that is being used to arrest dissidents has brought uncertainty to the political situation there, Yang said.
Hong Kong will also have a new chief executive in July next year, bringing further uncertainty, Yang said.
If Taiwan does not participate as a group, the TGSMA will still try to help athletes who wish to participate in the event individually, he said.
In 2018 in Paris, Taiwan was called “Taipei” on the official website of the games, but several athletes from Taiwan flew the country’s flag at the event’s opening ceremony.
Taiwan regularly competes as “Chinese Taipei” at international sporting events based on an agreement in 1981 to get around Chinese objections to Taiwan’s participation as a separate entity.
The upcoming Gay Games, which will be held November 11-19, 2022, in Hong Kong, promotes unity and positive attitudes toward athletes regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, according to its website.
Held every four years, the upcoming event is expected to hold 36 sport events and 11 art and culture events, with 12,000 participants, 75,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers from 100 countries, according to its website.
The Gay Games will mark its 40th anniversary in Hong Kong next year, the first Asian city to host the event. The event has been held in cities in North America, Australia, and Europe since its inception in 1982 in San Francisco.