TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following the announcement that Taiwan’s Olympic team would not attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (TPENOC) said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has asked it to “comply with the Olympic Charter.”

In a press release, the TPENOC said that since Saturday (Jan. 29) it has repeatedly been contacted by the IOC, which “provided detailed explanations of the meaning of the Olympic Charter.” The IOC demanded that every nation’s Olympic committee fulfill its responsibilities according to the Olympic Charter, including attending ceremonies.

As the Taiwan Sports Administration had cited COVID-related concerns as the reason for not attending the ceremonies, the IOC told the TPENOC that while it could understand its concern for Taiwan’s athletes, it had “explained very thoroughly the comprehensive anti-pandemic measures the IOC and Beijing Organising Committee have prepared for the Winter Olympics.” Thus, the TPENOC’s delegation is able to operate safely within the closed-loop Olympic bubble during the Winter Olympics, the committee insisted.

The TPENOC said that given the multiple detailed explanations the IOC had provided, it would communicate with members of the delegation and make preparations and arrangements for the team to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.

On Wednesday (Jan. 26), Taiwan protested China’s Taiwan Affairs Office for incorrectly referring to its Olympic team as “Zhongguo Taibei” (中國台北), or “Taipei, China,” instead of its official team name “Zhonghua Taibei” (中華臺北), or “Chinese Taipei.” “Zhonghua” indicates the cultural or ethnic sense of the term “Chinese” rather than nationality.

In response to ongoing human rights violations within China, a number of countries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the U.K., have staged a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games by not sending officials to attend.

The international community is also concerned about issues such as censorship, privacy, food safety, and health issues when athletes arrive in China. In addition, China has been struggling to curb a wave of COVID outbreaks across the country, including in Beijing and neighboring regions.

Bloodstained Beijing Winter Olympics flag protesting human rights issues in China. (CNA photo)