PARIS (TVBS News) — Tensions flared at the Olympic Games as security personnel and suspected Chinese spectators took away Taiwan-related fan items. Spectators reportedly faced stricter restrictions on Sunday (Aug. 4) during Taiwanese shuttlers Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin’s (王齊麟) gold medal match against China.
According to media reports, on-site staff was seen confiscating or destroying items featuring the shape of Taiwan or words related to the nation, such as “TW."
“The security check was even stricter today. My classmate drew a picture of Taiwan, using ‘one’ to represent the last word of “Taiwan,” which was confiscated by security before the poster was torn off,” a Taiwanese male fan recounted.
“The ‘Taiwan In’ poster was taken away. After flipping it around, [the security] just threw it in the trash can right in front of me,” another Taiwanese fan told reporters. “We explained that Taiwan’s flag was not on it, but they just said ‘no’ without explaining why."
On Aug. 2, a Taiwanese female fan also had her Taiwan-shaped poster, reading "Go Taiwan" (台灣加油), forcibly torn and taken by an allegedly Chinese man during the men's doubles badminton semifinals.
According to the Olympic website, only flags of participating countries are allowed, and advertising materials that include a political message or are deemed contrary to public order are restricted.
Taiwan competes as "Chinese Taipei," so fans can only bring the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag, not the national flag. However, whether items referencing Taiwan or names constitute political propaganda remains debatable.