TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's taekwondo team secured a silver medal in the men's team competition at the World University Games in Germany Thursday (July 24). Two officials from the Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC, 中國大學生體育協會) attempted to confiscate a congratulatory message from Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (教育部長鄭英耀) following the medal ceremony. The incident sparked diplomatic tensions between the competing delegations at the international sporting event.
The Chinese officials demanded to know if the message included "Chinese Taipei" and blocked journalists from filming the ceremony. Cheng Shih-Chung (鄭世忠), director of Taiwan's Sports Administration (體育署), expressed strong discontent over the confrontation. He noted that following Taiwan's table tennis men's team victory over China, the Chinese delegation continued provoking Taiwanese representatives, prompting him to issue a formal statement condemning their behavior.
Jhy-wey Shieh (謝志偉), Taiwan's ambassador to Germany, requested an apology from Essen's mayor's office regarding the incident. The mayor issued an apology, emphasizing the event's core values of openness, inclusivity, and peace. Cheng Shih-Chung stressed that Germany, as a democratic nation, does not restrict congratulatory messages or "Go Taiwan" cheers under the Olympic model, urging Chinese representatives to stop hurting Taiwanese sentiments. ◼
