Taiwan remains hot-button issue at Olympics

Huang Yu-ting was mostly unhappy with her performances at the Winter Olympics. The Taiwanese speed skater posted slower times in the 500 meters and the 1,000 meters than she did four years ago in Pyeongchang. But she told DW she was "really happy" she "didn't quit" in her 1,500-meter race, when, like in the 500-meters, she finished 26th.

But the big highlight for her was being a flag bearer for Chinese Taipei with compatriot and alpine skier Ho Ping-jui.

"I didn't expect that. It's an honor, actually, holding the flag and going in." Huang, 33, said.

The moment had extra meaning given the fact she had thought about retiring after Pyeongchang 2018 but was convinced by her father to give it another go.

"The moment I walked in, I almost cried because everyone was cheering, and then you were holding the flag, and I'm like: 'I can't believe I'm here again,'" she said. "Even though I didn't get a medal, it's a pretty cool experience in my life."

Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, has competed under the Chinese Taipei flag for her whole career as an inline and speed skater. So, when DW asked whether she competes for China or Taiwan, she didn't hesitate.

"I'm competing for Chinese Taipei, that's for sure," she said. "I don't think about it that much. I just try to do the things I should do. Train hard, compete, that's it."

'Only one China'

Taiwanese athletes have been competing under the "Plum Blossom Banner" of Chinese Taipei since 1981. The establishment of the deliberately ambiguous name came after years of dispute over whether to recognize both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the Olympics.

The name allowed China to accept Taiwan's participation in the Olympics as a regional branch of its national team, though the medal count would be separate. But as questions over the island's sovereignty have intensified under Chinese President Xi Jinping, how Taiwanese athletes should be represented at the Olympics remains up for debate.

The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee originally announced that its athletes would not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics – before reversing course. When they entered the stadium with the Plum Blossom Banner, Chinese spectators in attendance cheered.

But at a daily briefing earlier this week, Yan Jiarong, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), delivered an unprompted statement about Taiwan's status, which was in line with Xi's "One China" political stance.

"What I want to say is that there is only one China in the world," Yan said. "Taiwan is an indivisible part of China and this is a well-recognized international principle and well recognized in the international community."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is committed to being politically neutral, called a meeting with the BOCOG after the press conference to keep politics out of the Beijing Games. Taiwan's foreign ministry claimed Yan had "openly used the Olympic venue to conduct improper political propaganda."

Huang's social media storm

So it's safe to say that how Taiwan is represented on the international stage remains a hot-button issue, and Huang found that out the hard way.

On January 23, the speed skater posted a video of herself practicing in a friend's Chinese training outfit. The video was heavily criticized by Taiwanese netizens, who flooded her social media accounts with hate comments.

Huang responded by posting a Taylor Swift music video, "Shake it off," which she captioned: "Dear haters, this is for you." She later took down the post due to the backlash it created.

When asked about the initial practice video following her 1,000-meter race at Beijing's Speed Skating Oval, Huang insisted that it was meant to be harmless.

"For me, it's just a friendship. She gave me the suit, and I just wore that when I was practicing," Huang said. "I didn't mean anything, I posted that video trying to tell everyone; 'hey, I'm going to the Olympics.' That's it."

No Chinese Taipei at closing ceremony

The Chinese Taipei flag bearer also said that she wasn't set to take part in Sunday's closing ceremony and said that her athlete compatriots wouldn't either. Her reasoning centered around future competitions for which she had to prepare, meaning she needed to leave China on Friday to begin training.

When DW asked whether, as a flag bearer, she was disappointed that no athletes were sticking around for the closing ceremony, she simply said: "It's not my decision."

Chinese Taipei's reasoning behind initially not intending to participate in the opening ceremony was due to COVID-19, though many suspected something else could be at play. The fact that no athletes will be at the closing ceremony has also raised some eyebrows.

It seems clear that Taiwanese athletes, whenever they compete, are at the center of a very charged political debate. Though the IOC wants to remain politically neutral, and athletes like Huang seem to just want to compete, such discourse tends to find a way into the competitions they are trying to shield.

Edited by Chuck Penfold.