Taiwan’s first gold medal Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics promptly reignited the geopolitical fervor over Taiwanese identity and self-determination, even down to the way excited fans were allowed to celebrate.
On Sunday, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin from Taiwan won first place in badminton men’s doubles, defeating China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
It was a particularly sensitive victory since China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, even though the Communist Party has never ruled it and and many Taiwanese citizens reject the assertion that the island is subject to Chinese control.
“Winning the championship feels great, and beating China feels even better,” said Chen Hsi-yi, a 35-year-old film and television producer in Taipei who watched the match by himself at home.
China’s claim over Taiwan largely shuts the island of 23 million people out of most international events and organizations, including the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
The Olympic Games is no exception. Taiwan competes under the name Chinese Taipei with a specialized flag featuring the Olympic rings in place of the Taiwanese flag.
On Friday, a spectator at the Paris Games posted a video on social media of a man grabbing a green sign that read “Go Taiwan” from a woman at the badminton venue, and then tearing it in half before he was escorted out by security.
Other attendees reported that venue security had confiscated items featuring Taiwan colors and symbols.
The International Olympic Committee prohibits political messages and flags of countries not participating in the Olympics.
In a statement Saturday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the actions of the male attendee in the video and said it is seeking to assist others who want to report similar cases.
Addressing another incident in which security seized a green towel that said “Taiwan,” the ministry said it would report excessive rule enforcement to the organizers.
After Sunday’s victory, Taiwan fans were basking in the gold.
“I was extremely excited,” said Lai Tse-yi, a 32-year-old actor in Taipei, who watched the competition from home with his roommate. “Thank you to Taiwan’s athletes for making the world see Taiwan.”
Another 1,000 supporters gathered for a screening of the match in Taipei’s largest train station.
The worsening geopolitical standoff between China and Taiwan has increased animosity in recent years.
China has ramped up military activity around the island in response to what it considers developments enabling Taiwan independence. Those include then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in 2022, and the election of Lai Ching-te earlier this year, whom Beijing has decried as a “separatist.”
Many Taiwanese have also become wary of China’s military and political pressure, and have embraced local food, history and culture in an effort to distinguish the island’s identity from that of mainland China.
President Lai, who also goes by the English name William, congratulated the badminton duo on social media for representing “Team Taiwan.” “Your teamwork & perseverance led to this thrilling victory, a moment of pride for all Taiwan!,” he wrote.
The island has garnered greater attention over the past few years as a flash point in deteriorating U.S.-China relations. While the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as a country, it maintains an informal relationship with its government and is obligated under the Taiwan Relations Act to sell it arms for self-defense.
And as the U.S.-China relationship has turned adversarial, political support for Taiwan has grown. Earlier this year, President Biden signed a bill that included providing $8 billion in aid to Taiwan, which the Chinese government opposed as support for “separatist forces.”
On Chinese social media, sports commentators bemoaned the Olympics loss while emphasizing China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.
“Such a pity. Win or lose, Taiwan is definitely a part of China, but losing to this pair is really frustrating!” one blogger with 6.4 million followers wrote on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
Another blogger with 408,000 followers pointed out that the Chinese Taipei team could only use the Olympics-approved flag and anthem. “One day, it will be the five-star red flag and the ‘March of the Volunteers’ being played,” the user said, referring to China’s national flag and anthem.
Yang is a Times staff writer and Wu a special correspondent.
