Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang ordered a probe into the case of an athlete who posted a video of herself wearing a Chinese uniform shortly before the Beijing Winter Olympics began.
Taiwanese speed skater Huang Yu-ting, who had uploaded the video on her Instagram account, took down the post after facing severe online criticism back home, where China is largely viewed as a grave threat to the island’s freedom and national sovereignty.
Huang, one of Taiwan’s four athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics, carried the national flag at the opening ceremony. She told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that the uniform had been given to her by a Chinese friend.
“For me, it was just the friendship. She gave it to me, the suit, and I just wore it when I was practising. I didn’t mean anything. I posted the video because I just want to tell everyone that I go to the Olympics. I am happy with that,” she said.
Big cheer from the Beijing crowd for Taiwan’s flag bearer Huang Yu-ting at the 500m speed skating.
— Will Glasgow (@wmdglasgow) February 13, 2022
She got herself into a world of pain for wearing China’s uniform last week.
Tonight she wore the IOC-mandated Chinese Taipei outfit — but finished way off the pace. pic.twitter.com/VEh4K7ocko
The athlete also defended her decision on Facebook, saying that “sports is sports” adding that everyone is “good friends” during competitions. “There is no nationality in the world of sports. Every athlete is a friend when we are not competing against each other,” she wrote. Huang’s comments have invited further anger towards her in her home country, which is claimed by China as its own territory.
Taking offence to the athlete’s defence, Premier Su’s office criticised her actions in a statement released on Saturday, calling them “extremely inappropriate.” Su has asked the Education Ministry and the Sports Administration to launch an investigation into the athlete and give an “appropriate punishment”.
In a separate statement, Taiwan’s Presidential Office also offered its support for the “necessary” investigation and punishment. “Members of the national team represent the country in competitions, and there should not be any controversial words or deeds that damage the nation’s honour,” President Tsai Ing-wen’s spokesperson, Xavier Chang, said.
In light of the controversy, the Sports Administration’s director of competitive athletics, Lan Kun-ten, said that the agency would soon meet with representatives from the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and Chinese Taipei Skating Union to discuss Huang’s case, as well as determine a penalty in one to two weeks. However, according to the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee acting Secretary-General, Steven Chen, an athlete’s comments on social media and their attire during practice do not qualify for disqualification under the current regulations.
The Olympics have historically added to political tensions between Taiwan and China. During last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Japan’s national broadcaster introduced Taiwanese athletes as the delegation from “Taiwan,” instead of from “Chinese Taipei.” While China criticised the act, it was received warmly by Taiwan, which commended Japan for being a “good neighbour.”