TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An international men's doubles badminton match between two Taiwanese teams was disrupted on Wednesday by shouts from an audience member who claimed that Taiwan is a part of China.
During group stage play of the BWF World Tour Finals, the two-time Olympic gold medal duo of Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), faced off against the pairing of countrymen Yang Po-hsuan (楊博軒) and Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝). Having lost the first set 16-21, Lee and Wang staged a comeback to edge out their compatriots in the next two sets 21-16 and 21-18 and advance to the semifinals, per Liberty Times.
The event at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gym in Hangzhou, China, was marred by disruptions from pro-China spectators. During a timeout for a challenge, one woman could be heard loudly shouting at Lee and Wang, "Lin-Yang, Taiwan is part of China, do you know that?"
Her outburst was met with cheers from some in the audience. She then repeated the claim, prompting competing chants of “China” and "Taiwan" from the mixed crowd of Chinese and Taiwanese fans.
Lee and Wang could only respond with wry smiles and maintained their composure while waiting for the results of the challenge.
After the match, neither athlete made a public statement. Lee's subsequent social media post read:
"Each match I play now is one less, and every match everyone watches is one less. Like everyone, I cherish every moment on the court. Thank you, Chi-lin, Jhe-huei, and Po-hsuan. We agreed to play with joy and smile more on the court. Even though our first match was an internal battle, it felt great to be back on the court with you all."
Wang expressed positive sentiments on social media, saying, "This familiar feeling makes me cherish every moment of the 'Lin-Yang duo.'"
