Can Beijing shelve politics in 2008 on Aug 17, 2004

Can Beijing shelve politics in 2008?

By Richard Halloran

Nasty outbursts against a Japanese sports team in China have raised worrisome questions about Beijing's fitness to host the 2008 Olympic Games, which China's rulers intend to be a showcase for the progress of their nation, much as did Japan in 1964 and South Korea in 1988.

The Japanese team, in China for the Asia Cup tournament, was treated to hooliganism beyond that which seems to erupt in many places during matches in what the Americans call soccer, but almost everyone else calls football.

From southwestern Chongqing to eastern Jinan to Beijing, Chinese fans drowned out the Japanese national anthem with jeers, shouting "kill, kill, kill" at the visiting team, and harassing Japanese fans. Japanese flags were burned outside the stadiums and a Japanese diplomat's car was damaged.

The demonstrations reached a crescendo in Beijing, where the Japanese team defeated the Chinese, 3-1, to win the cup, while 10,000 policemen were alerted in an effort to control the riots. Japanese fans were held inside the stadium for two hours after the match, forced to wait until they could be herded to safety.

A sign referring to the Japanese invasion of China from 1937 to 1945 summed up the Chinese animosity: "This time, Chinese get to be the bullies." There is little evidence that the Chinese government instigated the acrimony directly but it has long conducted an anti-Japanese campaign through the government-controlled press that evidently has had a lasting effect.

Japan's ambassador to China, Koreshige Anami, protested to the Chinese government, which downplayed the hostility and accused the Japanese press of exaggerating. Ironically, the ambassador is the son of the late General Korechika Anami, who commanded a division during the assault on China and was later minister of war.

The general secretary of the Asian Football Confederations, Peter Velappan of Malaysia, raised the issue of the 2008 Olympics in a searing criticism of Chinese manners. "This is not sportsmanship," he said. "Chinese people have great culture, education and history, but the behavior here today ... well, I'm not so sure that Beijing can host a good Olympics."

Velappan also criticized the coach of the Chinese team, Arie Haan of the Netherlands, for refusing to attend the ceremony in which the second place medals were awarded.

"He should demonstrate a more sporting spirit and be a sporting loser," he said. "Not to receive this medal is an act of disrespect towards the Chinese and Japanese teams and the fans at the stadium," Velappan said.

Editorials in Japanese newspapers echoed Velappan as did several in Taiwan. Even a few voices in China expressed concern although the Chinese press largely ignored the incidents. Xinhua, the national news agency said: "Come on. It was just a game of soccer."

The concern is that the Chinese will hassle the Japanese again, and possibly the Americans, Vietnamese, Indians, Russians and others with whom they have political differences. A key question: Will China permit Taiwan to send a team?

China and Taiwan have clashed in Athens at the Olympics, which opened last Friday. The Taiwanese bought advertising space on airport carts and roads leading to athletic sites. China protested to the Greek government, which ordered the signs taken down. Taiwan accused the Greeks of appeasement.

On the athletic field, Chinese and Japanese football teams may meet again if each survives the elimination rounds. Women's softball and field hockey teams from China and Japan are scheduled to meet early in the games.

Despite the pleas of athletes, politics have long plagued the Olympics. Adolf Hitler, used the 1936 games to flaunt his Nazi supremacism. An African-American sprinter, Jesse Owens, the grandson of slaves, stole Hitler's thunder by winning four gold medals.

China boycotted the 1956 games in Melbourne after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized Taiwan and stayed out until the winter Olympics of 1980. The Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland sat out to condemn the Soviet Union's oppression in Hungary, while Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt withdrew to protest Israel's incursion into the Sinai Peninsula.

In 1972, Muslim terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes in Munich. To demonstrate against South Africa's racial apartheid, 26 nations boycotted the 1976 Montreal games. The US boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

The Soviets retaliated in 1984 by staying away from Los Angeles.

Given the conduct of the Chinese during the Asia Cup, it seems fair to ask whether they will organize an apolitical Olympics four years hence.

Richard Halloran is a freelance writer based in Honolulu.

'Chinese Taipei' charade is vile

By Cheng Tzu-leong

The Athens Olympic Organizing Committee has ordered the removal of Taiwan's advertising for the Olympic Games in Athens. This is not an isolated incident, and it once again highlights the international injustices Taiwan has to endure.

The Government Information Office (GIO) proceeded cautiously when outsourcing this advertising campaign. In addition to GIO Vice Director Lee Cher-jean, the GIO had also gathered representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Council for Physical Fitness and Sports and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. Moreover, in accordance with the regulations stipulated in the Procurement Act, the GIO invited three outside experts to participate as jurors. Four companies participated in the tender, which was won by the advertising arm of Evergreen Group.

After the GIO awarded the tender, amendments to the original proposal were made at several meetings before the deal was sealed. During this process, creativity took a back seat to the effort to remain within the constraints of the regulations laid down by the Olympic Organizing Committee. In accordance with the "Olympic format," the country's team is called "Chinese Taipei," the flag and team logo feature a plum flower and the team's song is the National Flag Song.

According to the nation's agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the above Olympic format will be binding in venues for competition, training, meetings and ceremonies related to the games, in the athletes' village, in accommodations for other participants and VIPs, and on all documents, manuals, materials and broadcasting. But -- also according to the agreement -- the Olympic format is in principle not binding in places other than the venues described above.

The items that the GIO designed for the Olympics include giant billboard near the airport, pushcarts at the airport, bus ads, ad boards in the audience stands and fan items such as temporary tattoos, cheer sticks and fan hats.

In principle, not one of these things violates the so-called Olympic format, and they could all make use of the name "Taiwan" instead of the far-fetched "Chinese Taipei." To avoid any disturbances, however, the GIO, cautiously and humbly, stuck with "Chinese Taipei." Who would have expected that after that, they still would suffer such censorship?

The reason given by the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee for removing Taiwan's ads from airport push carts, buses and giant billboards was that the content did not comply with the Olympic theme. These three kinds of ads (push carts, buses, giant billboards) all show a line of athletes at the starting blocks.

The photograph is suitable, and the text reads "Chinese Taipei on the Starting Line!" Another line reads "To the Top! Chinese Taipei," yet another standard cheer. How can this not comply with the Olympic theme?

The reason for this humiliating, belittling "Olympic format" is that after China took over Taiwan's UN seat in 1971 and diplomatic relations were severed with Japan and the US, the relationships between Taiwan's Olympic Committee and most national Olympic Committees were broken off. This continued until 1981, when Taiwan signed the "Olympic format" agreement with the IOC. Regret-tably, the nation's representatives did not insist on the name "Taiwan," and instead walked into the "one China trap" by agreeing to use the name "Chinese Taipei."

It's not that the country has lacked the opportunity to use the name "Taiwan." In the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, the organizers of the basketball competition demanded that our team use the name "Taiwan." The team, however, on orders from the central government, pulled out -- following the principle that "the world isn't big enough for two Chinas."

In 1954, when the IOC held its 49th annual meeting in Athens, they voted to accept two Chinese Olympic committees. In 1959, when the committee held its annual meeting in Munich, Germany, it was decided that "because the Olympic Committee located in Taipei, Taiwan, cannot control sports activities in all China, it cannot be recognized under the name the `Chinese Olympic Committee,' and it will be stricken from the list of countries recognized by the IOC. If the said Olympic Committee wants to apply for recognition under another name, the IOC will consider such an application separately."

When our national Olympic committee applied for recognition as the Republic of China Olympic Committee, the application was denied. Another application was submitted in 1960, but the IOC was of the opinion that the territory under the nation's control only encompassed the Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, and suggested that the name "Taiwan" or "Formosa" be used. Then-president Chiang Kai-shek did not agree, and the name under which recognition would be granted remained undecided. In 1979, the IOC passed a resolution recognizing the Beijing Olympic Committee as China's Olympic Committee, upon which Taiwan withdrew from further activities.

Is the use of "Taiwan" really such a serious matter? After Japan's Olympic Committee used the name "Taiwan" instead of "the Republic of China" during the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, Taiwanese students directed by the government launched a "five noes anti-Japanese protest" -- no to Japanese movies, no to Japanese music, no to speaking Japanese, no to reading Japanese books, and no to buying Japanese goods -- showing some of the confusion and stupidity of Chiang's view of international affairs.

The fact that the nation's ads have now been removed despite the use of the name "Chinese Taipei" only further highlights the necessity for the country to achieve the status of a regular nation. To reach that goal, the first step is to correct Taiwan's title.

Cheng Tzu-leong is an advertising professor at National Chengchi University.

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