TAIPEI (TVBS News) — At the Games on Friday (Aug. 2), a controversy erupted as staff and an alleged Chinese national confiscated pro-Taiwan items from spectators, leading the Taipei Representative Office in France (駐法代表處) to condemn the incident, adding that they are also assisting the affected individuals.
The incident occurred during the men's doubles semifinal match featuring Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟). A video on Threads showed a man in a pink shirt violently grabbing a "Taiwan" towel from a spectator.
To this, the representative office expressed regret and has initiated immediate action. The incident can be broken down into two parts, the representative office said. A man, not a staff member, forcibly took a poster from a Taiwanese spectator, while the staff confiscated a "Taiwan" towel, the office stated.
In response to this, the representative office has helped the spectator file a police report and condemned all violent acts. The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (中華奧會) is in close coordination with the office, communicating with the International Olympic Committee (國際奧委會) and the Paris Olympic's Organising Committee (巴黎奧會籌備處) to prevent future violence. The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (法國外交部) and local government are also involved.
Olympic regulations permit only flags of participating countries or regions, with size restrictions. The Flag of the Republic of China, Taiwan (中華民國國旗) is prohibited, but items with "Taiwan" are not explicitly banned.
The office highlighted possible staff misinterpretation due to insufficient training and urged Taiwanese spectators to continue their support rationally.
