TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese Taipei Skating Union (CTSU) has given up the right to host an international figure skating competition in Taipei scheduled for late October, saying the decision was made due to “invisible pressure.”

CTSU Secretary-General Wu I-te (吳奕德) held a press conference on Thursday (July 25) amid widespread criticism of the association’s handling of the issue.

In May, the International Skating Union (ISU) awarded the CTSU the right to host the 2019 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, which will be held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4. However, the association claimed on Tuesday (July 23) its right to host the event had been revoked due to “international circumstances,” though it later scrapped this wording from the statement.

The event will now be organized by the Hong Kong Skating Union instead, with the competition taking place in the Chinese city of Dongguan.

CTSU’s initial statement led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to lodge protests. They accused the Chinese authorities of once again bullying and trying to isolate Taiwan from international sports events.

The Sports Administration, which monitors the CTSU and allocates a fund to organize the skating competition, also said it would appeal to the ISU in order to “protect national integrity.”

However, the story took a dramatic twist when the ISU issued a statement on Wednesday (July 24) evening, which implied it was the CTSU that consented to yield the right to host the event.

“At the end of May, the ISU received indications from several ISU Asian Member Federations, including the Chinese Taipei Skating Union, that it would be preferable to host this event in another Asian country,” the statement revealed.

After consulting with other members, the ISU decided the event would be hosted by the Hong Kong Skating Union, “with the specific agreement of the Chinese Taipei Skating Union,” the statement added.

CTSU did not immediately respond in full to ISU’s statement, saying only that “we feel extremely regretful and at a loss.”

After the ISU made the announcement in May, the CTSU suggested the international skating governing body that it should reconsider the host city for the October event, as recommended by other Taiwan-friendly members, Wu I-te acknowledged at the press conference on Thursday.

The association learned that some members are preparing to boycott the competition should it be hosted in Taipei, Wu said. “We expressed our hope the ISU would continue to support us [CTSU], but we also expressed the view that changing the location of the event might be an option.”

Wu emphasized the CTSU never renounced the opportunity to host the event, but on the contrary had continued to prepare for it until Tuesday. However, he also admitted that when the ISU informed the CTSU of Hong Kong’s willingness to replace Taipei, the CTSU said it “agreed to cooperate.”

Wu argued the idea was to maintain “a good relationship with the ISU” so the CTSU would have other opportunities to host ISU-related competitions in the future. “We came to a realization the situation was not promising,” Wu said.

He added the CTSU has received constant “invisible pressure.” He declined, nevertheless, to confirm if the pressure had come from China.

The Sports Administration said it would convene on Friday with MOFA, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, as well as the CTSU, to decide whether to appeal to the ISU.

The Ministry of Education (MOE), which supervises the Sports Administration, has formed a group to investigate the matter, said an official from the Sports Administration. It will determine whether the CTSU willingly pulled out from hosting the event and deliberately concealed the truth.