Qatar World Cup organisers alter ticket ID system that listed Taiwan as part of China
- Ticket-holders must apply for Hayya card, which doubles as a visa, but Taiwan was omitted from the online application system, then listed as ‘province of China’
- The system was later changed to include simply ‘Taiwan’, showing the Taiwanese flag, after the island’s government expressed concern
All World Cup ticket-holders must apply for the Hayya card used to identify fans, which also serves as their Qatar visa, but Taiwan’s government expressed concern after discovering the online application system made no mention of the island.
It was subsequently listed as “Taiwan, province of China”, terminology that equally angers Taiwan’s government and many of its people.
However, late on Wednesday the system began listing the island simply as “Taiwan”, complete with the Taiwanese flag.
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‘One China’ explained
It marks a rare victory for Taiwan, whose government and many of its people bristle at China’s sovereignty claims.
Taiwanese foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters that this was a “positive development”, and expressed appreciation for the fast reaction by the organisers.