For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. – August 9, 2024
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FAPA INITIATES A JOINT LETTER TO THE IOC, URGING TO LET TAIWAN BE “TAIWAN” AT THE OLYMPICS
As the 2024 Paris Olympics comes to an end, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), together with 23 other overseas Taiwanese organizations, sent a joint letter today (August 9) to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and all members of its Executive Board, calling on the IOC to justly let Taiwanese athletes compete under the name “Taiwan” instead of forcing Taiwan’s team to use the discriminatory misnomer “Chinese Taipei,” and also stop infringing on the “freedom of speech and expression” of the spectators to display signs and symbols in support of Taiwan at the Olympics.
The initiator of the joint letter, FAPA President Su-Mei Kao noted: “Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country, and this is a long-established ‘status quo.’ Taiwan’s Olympic team is fully entitled to compete proudly under the name ‘Taiwan.’ It is only natural for Taiwanese fans to cheer for the team of their country ‘Taiwan’ at the Olympic Games. The IOC, in blatant disregard for the principles of ‘non-discrimination’ and ‘political neutrality’ enshrined in the Olympic Charter, has forced Taiwan’s team to use the derogatory name ‘Chinese Taipei,’ which undermines Taiwan’s independent statehood and national dignity. The reason behind this is obvious: China’s outrageous political pressure and its irrational and continued bullying against Taiwan.”
In the joint letter, we point out that since 1984, “capitulating to the political pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” the IOC has unjustly forced Taiwan to participate in the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei” and prohibit the display of its national flag and the playing of its national anthem during the games.
The letter criticizes that these “unfair practices violate the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter,” which, among other things, declares that “[t]he practice of sport is a human right” and “[e]very individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination,” that “sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality,” and that “[t]he enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race . . . political or other opinion, national or social origin . . . birth or other status.”
The letter says that the IOC’s unfair Taiwan-specific restrictions have been extended to fans supporting “Taiwan.” At the ongoing Summer Olympics, signs or items that have the word “Taiwan” on them, or include a semblance of Taiwan, have been unreasonably prohibited and forcefully snatched from Taiwanese fans by Olympic staff members or Chinese spectators. Fans holding signage in support of Taiwan have even been forcibly removed from the Olympic venues.
FAPA and other co-signatory organizations “strongly condemn these violent acts.” These actions “not only violated the Olympic spirit and principles set forth in the Olympic Charter” but also infringed on the “freedom of speech” of Taiwanese spectators at the Olympics to rightfully express support for the athletes from their country, “Taiwan.”
We jointly call on the IOC President Bach and the full Executive Board “not to succumb to China’s political pressure” and immediately stop its “discriminatory requirement” for athletes from Taiwan to compete under the fictitious name “Chinese Taipei.” The name “Chinese Taipei” “falsely implies that Taiwan is part of China (PRC), even though Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC for a single day.”
We demand and hope that Taiwan’s team to compete proudly and properly under the name “Taiwan.” We urged that “[t]he international community ought to support democracy and freedom by opposing authoritarian China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty and independent statehood through the forcible imposition of the humiliating name ‘Chinese Taipei’ on Taiwan.”
We praise that during this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, various news outlets from different countries have properly explained that the team participating under the confusing name “Chinese Taipei” is actually from “Taiwan” and correctly referred to it and its members as the “team of Taiwan” and “Taiwanese athletes.” We also encouraged more media outlets to follow suit and call Taiwan as “Taiwan.”
At the end of the letter, FAPA and all co-signatory overseas Taiwanese organizations jointly urge the IOC President and other Olympic officials to “resist China’s political bullying against Taiwan and begin sweeping away all discriminatory and unfair restraints on Taiwan’s athletes and supporters.”
We strongly call on “the IOC to live up to the ideals and principles of the Olympic Charter, allow Taiwan to proudly compete under its name, ‘Taiwan,’ and use the national flag and anthem that can truly represent Taiwan.”
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FAPA發起連署致函國際奧會 籲讓台灣選手以「台灣」之名參賽
隨著 2024 年巴黎奧運步入尾聲，台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）於今日（8月9日）協同其他 23 個海外台灣人組織，連署致函國際奧林匹克委員會（IOC）主席巴赫（Thomas Bach）及全體執行委員會委員，呼籲國際奧會應公正地允許台灣運動員得以「台灣」（Taiwan）之名義參賽，而非強迫台灣代表隊使用「中華台北」（Chinese Taipei）此歧視性的誤稱，並且應立即停止侵犯奧運場內觀眾高舉為「台灣」加油之標語或標誌的「言論與表意自由」。
發起連署信的FAPA會長林素梅表示：「台灣是個主權獨立的國家，這是長久以來所確立的『現狀』。台灣的奧運代表隊完全有資格以『台灣』之名驕傲地參賽。台灣觀眾在奧運場內為自己的國家『台灣』加油，乃是天經地義。國際奧會不惜違背《奧林匹克憲章》中的『非歧視』與『政治中立』等基本原則，強迫台灣代表隊使用有損國格與尊嚴的『中華台北』貶稱，其背後原因無他 —— 亦即，中國的蠻橫政治壓力及其對台灣的無理持續霸凌。」
連署信函指出，自1984年以來，國際奧委會「屈服於中華人民共和國的政治壓力」，不公不義地強迫台灣隊以「中華台北」的名義參加奧運，並禁止於賽事期間展示其國旗及播放其國歌。
連署信批評，「這些不公正的做法違反了《奧林匹克憲章》的基本原則」，其中包括「體育運動是一項人權。每個人均須享有從事體育運動的機會，而不受任何形式的歧視」，「奧林匹克活動中的運動組織應保持政治中立」，以及「應確保享有本《奧林匹克憲章》所規定的權利和自由，不受諸如種族 . . . 政治傾向或其他意見、國籍或社會出身 . . . 出生或其他身分等任何形式的歧視」。
信中提到，國際奧會針對台灣的不公平限制，竟已延伸至支持「台灣」的奧運場內觀眾。正在巴黎舉行的夏季奧運會上，帶有「台灣」字樣或包含台灣意象之標語或物品被無理地禁止，並從台灣粉絲手中被奧會保全人員或中國籍人士蠻橫搶走。手持標語或標誌為「台灣」加油的觀眾，甚至被工作人員強制驅離奧運賽場。
FAPA及其他參與連署的組織「強烈譴責這些暴力行為」。這些行為「不僅違反了《奧林匹克憲章》中的奧運精神與基本原則」，並且侵犯了台灣觀眾在奧運場內正當表達支持其自身國家「台灣」運動員的「言論與表意自由」。
我們共同呼籲，國際奧會巴赫主席與整個執行委員會「不應再屈從於中國的蠻橫政治壓力」，且應立即停止強迫台灣運動員以「中華台北」此不實虛構名稱參賽的「歧視性要求」。「中華台北」此名稱「錯誤地暗示台灣是中國（亦即，中華人民共和國）的一部分，即便台灣從未被中共政權統治過一分一秒」。
我們要求並期盼台灣代表隊能以「台灣之名」合理且驕傲地參賽。我們呼籲，「國際社會應堅定捍衛民主與自由價值，公開反對威權中國強迫台灣使用『中華台北』此貶抑性的辱稱，企圖侵害台灣的國家主權尊嚴與獨立國格」。
我們要讚揚各國的多家新聞媒體在巴黎奧運期間，妥善解釋了使用「中華台北」此怪異名稱參賽之隊伍其實來自「台灣」，並正確地稱呼該隊及其隊員為「台灣隊」與「台灣運動員」。我們並鼓勵越來越多媒體僅以「台灣」來稱呼台灣。
在該信文末，FAPA及所有連署的海外台灣人組織共同呼籲，國際奧會主席與其他官員「能抵抗中國對台灣的政治霸凌，並著手消除所有對台灣運動員及支持者的歧視性待遇與不公平限制」。
我們強烈要求，「國際奧委會能恪遵《奧林匹克憲章》的理想和原則，允許台灣以其真實的名稱『台灣』自豪地參賽，並讓其使用能真正代表台灣的國旗與國歌」。
Full Text of the Joint Letter（連署信函全文）:
See the PDF file below (見附加PDF檔)
Petition Initiator（連署發起人）:
Formosan Association for Public Affairs (台灣人公共事務會)
Co-Signatory Organizations（連署單位）:
- World Federation of Taiwanese Associations (世界台灣同鄉會聯合會)
- Asociación de Taiwán en Argentina (阿根廷台灣協會)
- Taiwan Research Forum (台灣研究論壇）
- Asociación de Taiwán en Costa Rica (哥斯大黎加台灣協會)
- All Japan Taiwanese Union (全日本台灣連合會)
- Associação Taiwanesa do Brasil (巴西台灣同鄉會)
- Taiwan Association in Sweden (瑞典臺灣協會)
- Australia Taiwan Culture Foundation Ltd. (澳台文化基金會)
- North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association (北美洲台灣人教授協會)
- Taiwanese Association of America (全美台灣同鄉會)
- Taiwanese Human Rights Association of Canada (加拿大台灣人權協會)
- Taiwanese American Citizens League (台美公民協會)
- TaiwaneseAmerican.org
- North America Taiwanese Women’s Association (北美洲台灣婦女會)
- World United Formosans for Independence-USA (台灣獨立建國聯盟 – 美國本部)
- Association Formose en France (法國台灣協會)
- European Federation of Taiwanese Associations (歐洲台灣協會)
- Taiwanese Hakka Association for Public Affairs in North America (北美台灣客家公共事務協會)
- World Taiwanese Congress (世界台灣人大會)
- North American Taiwanese Medical Association (北美洲台灣人醫師協會)
- Formosan Association for Human Rights (全美台灣人權協會)
- Taiwanese Association in Belgium (比利時台灣協會)
- Taiwanese Association in Japan (在日台灣同鄉會)
