Taipei accuses Beijing of dragging sport into politics after youth games suspended
Multimillion-dollar international event was to be held in Taichung next year
Taiwan accused mainland China of dragging sport into politics on Tuesday after a multimillion-dollar international youth event due to be held on the island next year was suspended.
It comes as Beijing ramps up military and diplomatic pressure on self-ruling democratic Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold.
According to Taiwan sports officials, members of the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) voted in a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday to revoke Taichung city’s right to host the first-ever East Asian Youth Games in 2019.
Taiwan voted for the games to continue as planned, while Japan abstained. The other members of the committee – mainland China, South Korea, North Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia – voted for the suspension, according to Taiwanese officials.
Taiwan’s presidential office said the EAOC had made the “wrong decision” and accused Beijing of bullying.
The Taichung city government expressed indignation, saying it had already invested T$670 million (US$21.9 million) to build facilities for the games.