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| In this April 7 2018 file photo, a man holds up a scarf with a slogan reading "Taiwan is Not Chinese Taipei" during a rally in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. EPA |
By Jung Min-ho
Taiwan will vote this month whether its athletes should compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the name of "Taiwan" not "Chinese Taipei" in a highly controversial referendum that may provoke Beijing.
According to local media, the referendum, scheduled for Nov. 24, will ask Taiwanese whether the island should compete in the Olympics and other international sporting events under "Taiwan" instead of "Chinese Taipei" ― a title that has been used since 1981.
Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka reportedly said the matter would be handled according to the law and, whatever the result, she would respect the voices of the Taiwanese people.
China has regarded Taiwan a breakaway province since the end of a civil war that resulted in the establishment of two governments ― one in Beijing and the other in Taipei.
After taking over the mainland from the Kuomintang, the Communist Party of China claimed it was the sole representative of China. Since the United Nations ousted Taipei to admit Beijing in 1971, the Communist Party has disputed the island's use of "Republic of China" at international events. In 1981, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed the island's name to "Chinese Taipei."
"We want to change the so-called Olympic model that has put restrictions on our attending international sporting events for a long time," Yoshi Liu, a leading Team Taiwan campaigner, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post. "We want to change our name back to Taiwan."
Liu said the referendum would allow voters to have their say and decide whether they wanted to accept the "humiliating title" ― one that gave other countries the impression that Taiwan was part of China.
Some people such as Lin Hong-dow, Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee chairman, are concerned that the IOC may bar Taiwanese from participating in the Games.
