東京奧運：三個不能用自己國家名字參賽的代表隊
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東京奧運：三個不能用自己國家名字參賽的代表隊
2021年7月29日
圖像來源，Reuters
東京奧運2020一共有206個代表團參加，絶大部分是代表自己的國家，或者是地區，但其中也有極少數幾個代表團，因為各種不同原因而不能使用自己國家或地區的名字參加比賽。
國際奧林匹克委員會（International Olympic Committee）在世界各地一共有206個受到承認的國家奧林匹克委員會（National Olympic Committee），負責在一個國家或地區開展奧林匹克運動。
這206個國家奧委會包括193個聯合國成員國，1個聯合國觀察員（巴勒斯坦），2個非聯合國成員國或地區（科索沃和台灣），再加上4個美國海外屬地，3個英國海外屬地，1個中國特別行政區，1個荷蘭王國自治國和1個與新西蘭維持自由聯合的自治國。
本屆奧運的參賽隊伍當中，上述206個國家奧委會除了朝鮮因為新冠疫情而決定不參加本屆奧運之外，其餘的205個國家或地區都參加，另外再加上一個奧林匹克難民代表團，代表團總數仍為206個。
以下就是3個因為各種不同原因而不能使用自己國家或地區的名字參加比賽的隊伍。
中華台北（Chinese Taipei）
圖像來源，Reuters 圖像加註文字， 台灣以「中華台北」的名稱參加奧運
以「中華台北」（Chinese Taipei）為名參加奧運的台灣代表團，是最為人熟知的無法用自己名字參加奧運會的代表團。
中華台北是全球206個國家奧林匹克委員會的其中之一，也是唯一一個非聯合國成員國，而且又不能以自己名字（不論是官方名稱中華民國或通稱台灣）參加奧運會的代表團。
中華台北的名稱是國際奧委會恢復中華人民共和國的奧委會席位之後，台灣於1981年與國際奧委會簽署《洛桑協議》確認的名稱。
但是不能用自己的名字參賽並不影響台灣在奧運會的表現，在本屆東京奧運中華台北代表隊已經贏得了1金、2銀、3銅，6面獎牌的成績，這也是台灣近年來參加奧運的第二佳成績。
在國際矚目的奧運會上，「Chinese Taipei」的名字也經常把外國觀眾搞得一頭霧水，一些國際媒體乾脆直接稱呼為「台灣隊」。
澳大利亞新聞網站（news.com.au）一篇文章稱，和「People’s Republic of China」以及「Hong Kong, China」不同，「Chinese Taipei」其實並不是中華人民共和國的一部分，而是大家熟悉的台灣。
上述文章也指出，就幾乎所有層面來說，「台灣是一個獨立國家」，而且和中華人民共和國不同，台灣以自己的民主體制自豪。
俄羅斯奧委會（ROC）
圖像來源，EPA 圖像加註文字， 俄羅斯選手以「ROC」為名參賽
另一個不能以自己名字參賽的代表團就是俄羅斯，這是因為俄羅斯此前違反藥檢規定而遭到國際奧委會制裁。
在本屆的東京奧運會上，俄羅斯選手只能以「ROC」（俄羅斯奧委會，Russian Olympic Committee）為名參賽，也只能使用俄羅斯奧委會的旗幟。
如果有俄羅斯運動員取得金牌，頒獎典禮期間也不能按慣例播放俄羅斯國歌，而是使用俄國作曲家柴可夫斯基的《第一鋼琴協奏曲》代替。
國際奧委會還規定，俄羅斯選手比賽服裝可以使用俄羅斯國旗的紅、藍、白三種顏色，但不能出現俄羅斯國旗或俄羅斯名字，也不能使用俄羅斯奧委會全名，而只能使用縮寫「ROC」。
值得一提的是，這裏的「ROC」和「Republic of China」（中華民國）的英文簡稱沒有任何關係。
難民代表團（Refugee Olympic Team）
圖像來源，Reuters 圖像加註文字， 奧林匹克難民代表團手持奧林匹克旗幟出場
最後一個無法以自己名字參賽的隊伍就是奧林匹克難民代表團。
奧林匹克難民代表團在2016年正式成立，「象徵全世界所有難民的希望，並讓全世界人民更加了解難民危機」。
上屆里約奧運，一共有10名運動員以難民代表團參賽，包括埃塞俄比亞，南蘇丹，敘利亞等多個國家。
本屆東京奧運，一共有29名運動員以難民代表團身份參賽，包括來自於敘利亞、伊朗、南蘇丹、阿富汗等11個國家的運動員。
What is Chinese Taipei?
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When Taiwanese Olympic athletes entered the stadium during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony last week, Chinese viewers on streaming platform Tencent were shocked to find a live broadcast of the proceedings halted and replaced with a stand-up comedy routine.
The censors needn’t have bothered, however, given that not only are the Taiwanese athletes at this year’s Olympic Games - and every Olympic Games for 30 years - forbidden from being classified Taiwanese, they are also forbidden from marching under the Taiwanese flag.
Instead, Taiwan appears as Chinese Taipei and has done since 1984, because the Peoples’ Republic of China considers the territory part of China. Taiwan broke away from China in 1948 as Mao Zedong’s Communists took control of China from Chang Kaishek’s government.
Kaishek and the Kuomintang retreated to the island and formed a government in exile, and ever since relations between Taipei and Beijing have been at best strained and at worst non-existent.
Ever since, China has exerted considerable pressure on other nations not to forge relations with Taiwan, to the extent that in most European states Taiwanese diplomatic presence cannot be referred to as an embassy. In recent weeks, Lithuania angered China by breaking this protocol.
China at the Olympics
After the Communist take-over of China, Beijing sent athletes from the PRC to the Olympic Games in Finland, but the small delegation failed to win a single medal after the team arrived in Helsinki way after the games had begun.
At the following games, both the PRC and Taiwan were invited, the latter to compete as the Republic of China. But Beijing refused to accept Taipei’s use of ‘China’ and refused to take part.
China did not compete in the Olympics again until 1980, following the Olympics Committee’s Nagoya Resolution, which dictated that Taiwan must be classified as Chinese Taipei.
There has been a growing movement in Taiwan to regularise its involvement in the games and compete under Taiwan rather than Chinese Taipei, but a referendum on the issue in 2018 failed as Taiwanese citizens feared that if they did so it could see them kicked out of the tournament completely.
Explained: Why Taiwan use title ‘Chinese Taipei’ at Olympics-Sports News , Firstpost
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Taiwan cannot even call itself ‘Taiwan’ at the Games. Instead, it must use the title ‘Chinese Taipei’, a source of considerable frustration to many Taiwanese.
Taipei, Taiwan: Taiwan’s star weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun won gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, but when she ascended the podium to receive her medal there was no national flag and no national anthem to greet her.
Taiwan cannot even call itself “Taiwan” at the Games. Instead, it must use the title “Chinese Taipei”, a source of considerable frustration to many Taiwanese.
Here’s why:
What’s in a name?
Taiwan has been given a host of names at the Olympics over the years because of its peculiar international status.
Despite being a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people with its own borders, currency and government, Taiwan’s status remains disputed.
After the 1949 Chinese civil war ended, the losing Nationalists and their Republic of China government fled to Taiwan.
Mao’s winning communist forces founded the People’s Republic of China on the mainland.
Beijing’s communist leadership has never controlled Taiwan. But it still views the island as part of a “one China” and has vowed to seize it one day, by force if it needs.
It tries to keep Taipei isolated on the world stage and balks at any use of the word Taiwan.
Why Chinese Taipei?
That was the name Taipei settled on back in 1981 with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
It was a compromise that would allow Taiwan to compete in sports without presenting itself as a sovereign nation.
Instead of Taiwan’s red and blue flag, Taiwanese athletes must compete under the “Plum Blossom Banner”, a white flag that carries the Olympic rings.
A traditional flag-raising song – not Taiwan’s national anthem – is played when athletes are on the podium.
Critics say the name is humiliating, noting that other disputed or unrecognised places, such as Palestine, get to use their own name and flag at the Olympics.
What were the previous names?
In 1952, both Taiwan and China were invited to the Olympics. Both governments claimed to represent China but, in the end, Taiwan dropped out.
Four years later, Taiwan joined the Olympics as “Formosa-China” — Formosa (beautiful) was the name Portuguese sailors gave Taiwan in the sixteenth century.
Beijing boycotted those games and quit the International Olympic Committee two years later.
For the 1960 games, Taiwan performed under the name Taiwan at the behest of the IOC.
But Taiwan’s then authoritarian government objected to that name — they wanted to be the Republic of China.
Taiwan participated in two more Olympics as Taiwan in the 1960s, including the 1964 Tokyo Games.
By the 1970s, more countries were starting to diplomatically recognise Beijing over Taiwan.
In 1972, Taiwan took part in the Olympics as the Republic of China for the last time.
Taiwan boycotted the 1976 Olympics after host country Canada demanded it compete as Taiwan instead of ROC.
It was then suspended in 1979 after the IOC recognised Beijing as the representative body for China.
And it was only allowed back in two years later after it agreed to compete as Chinese Taipei, the name it has used ever since.
Why is Taiwan popular again?
It is somewhat ironic that there are now growing calls for Taiwan to be allowed to use the name Taiwan given previous governments disliked that name in the past.
But much has changed in Taiwan since the 1970s.
Since the 1990s, Taiwan has morphed from a dictatorship into one of Asia’s most progressive democracies.
A distinct Taiwanese identity has emerged, especially among youngsters.
A referendum on whether “Chinese Taipei” should be changed was held in 2018, sparking warnings from both the IOC and Beijing.
But the referendum was lost, partly because top athletes opposed the vote, fearful they would be banned from major sporting events.
Current President Tsai Ing-wen — who won a landslide re-election last year — views Taiwan as a de facto sovereign nation and has pushed to use the name Taiwan more.
She wrote a message of thanks to Japan online after a news anchor announced Chinese Taipei as Taiwan during the opening ceremony.
In response, China’s state media tabloid the Global Times blasted Japan for “dirty political tricks”.