Chinese CrossFit star gets ‘revenge’ after claiming Taiwanese athlete snubbed China flag at 2019 Games
- Bobo Chen Aichan says watching the 2019 CrossFit Games, in which she claims Taiwanese athlete Ruei Hung Tsai-jui ‘refused’ to carry the Chinese flag, inspired her to victory
- Hung, interviewed before the Games last year, says ‘I would proudly say I come from Taiwan’ in response to being forced to represent China
“Bobo” Chen Aichan, a 31-year-old Chinese athlete based in Shanghai, won the 2020 CrossFit Open as the top female in China, which means she will represent her country at the 2020 CrossFit Games in August.
Chen, who beat Taiwan’s Ruei Hung Tsai-jui, last year’s winner, claims Hung was disrespectful towards her home country. In creating national champions as part of its rules and qualification overhaul in 2019, CrossFit made Hong Kong and Taiwan part of China when it comes to eligible country champions.
“I found the responsibility as a Chinese athlete,” said Chen through a written Cantonese translation. “Especially when I saw the Taiwan athlete refuse to hold the flag of China.”
The former weightlifter, who competed as part of the national team until 2017, said she originally turned down the opportunity to turn professional in 2019, but after seeing Hung not holding the Chinese flag at the Games opening ceremony, she changed her mind.