TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Officials disqualified a Chinese competitor on Thursday (Aug. 29) for attempting to remove Taiwan's flag at an international shooting competition in Indonesia.
The International Range Officers Association (IROA, 國際靶場監督官協會) made the announcement following the incident, which occurred during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Australasian Handgun Championships, organized by the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC, 國際實用射擊聯盟).
Taiwanese competitor and referee Chen Pin-yu (陳品佑) witnessed the incident and immediately reported it, ensuring the flag was rehung.
Chen Pin-yu's father, Chen Hsing-hung (陳信宏), explained that three Chinese competitors initially removed the flag, but only one remained when his son intervened. Event organizers responded by assigning personnel to guard the flag and protect Chen Pin-yu.
Chen Hsing-hung revealed that the organizers expressed regret and promised to prevent similar incidents. He noted that representatives from at least 10 countries condemned the Chinese competitor's unsportsmanlike conduct.
Chen Hsing-hung thanked the event organizers for their impartial handling of the situation and appreciated Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for their proactive support.
