TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) called on France to take adequate steps to protect the public during the badminton men’s doubles finals at the Paris Olympics Sunday (Aug. 4).

The call on his Facebook page followed incidents Friday (Aug. 2) when a Chinese man snatched a sign in the shape of a Taiwan map with the words “Go Taiwan” in Chinese characters from a Taiwanese fan, and security staff took away a towel with the word “Taiwan.” The country’s flag has been banned from Olympic venues due to Chinese pressure, but neither of the items taken away from fans Friday showed a flag.

As the incidents happened at a match with badminton champions Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), there reportedly was concern about their clash with China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang scheduled for Sunday. The match will decide who wins the gold and silver, with Lee and Wang trying for a second consecutive Olympic gold following their victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

The foreign minister said he had told Taiwan’s representative office in Paris to pay close attention to developments. He also called on the French authorities to protect the safety of fans at Sunday’s finals, per CNA.

The Olympics were the place where athletes displayed the results of years of training, Lin said. In addition, fans and supporters also needed to show respect for each other in the spirit of the Olympics, he concluded.