National flag allowed at Universiade, Taipei says

By Kuo An-chia / Staff Reporter





Spectators at the Taipei Universiade games in August can carry Taiwan’s national flag or the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation flag to support Taiwanese teams, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.

The city reiterated its position after a question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council in which Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) responded “yes” when he was asked by independent Councilor Tung Chung-yen (童仲彥) if it would be acceptable for spectators to bring the Republic of Taiwan Flag designed by pro-independence supporters.

Taipei City Government Secretary-General Su Li-Chiung (蘇麗瓊) said after the meeting that the mayor might not know the regulations on the flags that spectators may carry to the Summer Universiade.

She said the International University Sports Federation (FISU) only recognizes the national flag and the flag of the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation.

Other flags would be deemed by the federation as having a political significance, she said, adding that the federation wants students to simply enjoy sports without any political baggage.

Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang (楊景棠) said that the flags brought to the games by spectators must be a maximum 2m long and 1m wide, adding that more details would be announced in July.

The Sports Administration, said spectators can carry national flags as per the Olympic model, and the organizing committee has no right to interfere so long as spectators’ actions do not disrupt the proceedings of the games.

However, if the international games are hosted by other countries, the same model requires spectators to follow the rules set by the organizing committee in the host country, which are usually printed at the back of the tickets sold to spectators.

In the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games last year the tickets stated that spectators must not wave flags unrecognized by the International Olympic Committee.