Beijing Winter Olympics: Taiwan agrees to participate in opening, closing ceremonies

Taiwan's delegation will attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, two days after the island announced it would skip the ceremonies due to late flights and concerns over COVID. The decision was reportedly prompted by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) intervention, which wanted all teams to participate in the ceremonies.

Taiwan to participate in ceremonies at Winter Olympics

However, it was previously announced that the squad would skip the opening and closing of Beijing Winter Olympics ceremonies as part of a "soft" boycott. When the Beijing Winter Olympics begin on Friday, no government officials will accompany the 15-member Taiwan Olympics Team, which will compete as 'Chinese-Taipei'. The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee claimed the IOC had contacted them about the quiet boycott in a statement released late Monday night.

"The IOC was in contact with us from January 29, asking us to follow the IOC charter and explained to us at length that all IOC members must follow the Olympic charter in taking part of the event, which includes the obligation to attend all related ceremonies," the statement read.

According to the Chinese Taipei committee, the IOC said it completely understands the team's concerns about the pandemic and that it would do everything possible to assist the squad in participating in a safe atmosphere, including at the opening and closing ceremonies. Following consultations with the IOC, the Chinese Taipei committee chose to send members of its squad to the ceremonies.

Only 4 Taiwanese athletes to participate in Beijing Winter Olympics

It was unclear how many members of the team would be in attendance. A doctor in charge of pandemics and associated concerns, a therapist, a nurse, and trainers make up the majority of the team, which is supervised by committee head Lin Hong-dow. Only four athletes will compete for the island, the same number that competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Huang Yu-ting, a speed skater, will compete in the women's 500m, 1000m, and 1500m events; Lee Wen-yi and Ho Ping-jui, who will compete in the men's and women's slalom, respectively; and Lin Sin-rong, who will compete in the women's singles luge. The Winter Olympics will take place as tensions in the Taiwan Strait rise, with Beijing organising military games near the island and flying jets to Taiwan's air defence identification zone on a daily basis to increase pressure on Taipei.

(With inputs from agencies)