Beijing, in Snub to Taipei, Boycotts a Sports Ceremony New York Times, July 7, 2009
TAIPEI — China boycotted the opening of the 2009 World Games on Thursday night, apparently as a snub of the host, Taiwan.
Taiwan is hosting the World Games at the port city of Kaohsiung. Some 4,800 athletes from 105 nations will compete, according to the event’s official Web site.
Aurora Yang, from the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee Media Liaison Office, said by telephone that 77 mainland Chinese athletes had completed the application process for competing in seven sports, including fin-swimming, boules and water-skiing. But none of them showed up for the opening ceremony.
“We don’t know why they didn’t come, and we didn’t get any official announcement, so we can’t comment,” Ms. Yang said.
Local media cited a Kaohsiung official as saying that mainland athletes were in Taiwan but that they did not register to take part in the opening ceremony.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory and protests any suggestion that the self-ruled island is a separate state. But the ceremony Thursday night was held in accordance with past practice at the Olympic Games and other international sporting events, under which Taiwan competes as “Chinese Taipei” and cannot fly its national flag.
Antonio Chiang, a media commentator and former government official, speculated that Beijing’s no-show may have been related to the appearance by President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan, who opened the World Games.
“It makes a very bad impression on Taiwan,” Mr. Chiang said of Beijing’s snub. “And it’s a mockery of Ma Ying-jeou’s policy.”
Taipei and Beijing each claim sovereignty over China and have refused to recognize each other since they split in 1949 after the civil war. But Mr. Ma, who took office in May last year, has improved ties with the mainland through a series of commercial deals.
The World Games, held every four years, offer competition in non-Olympic sports.
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