Taiwan’s Olympic athletes are preparing to head to the Tokyo Olympics, which will kick off on July 23. On Monday, President Tsai presented the athletes with the official team flag, in a ceremony at the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
Taiwan participates in the Olympics under the name Chinese Taipei, and with an Olympic ring flag, instead of using the official name and flag of the country. That’s due to the insistence of China, which sees Taiwan as part of its own territory.
With a Level 3 COVID-19 Alert still in effect in Taiwan, most of the athletes participated online, with their images projected on a screen behind the president.
There were, however, a handful of athletes who attended in person. President Tsai presented two of them with a bonus for the team to spend at the Olympics. One of the athletes was Tai Tzu-ying, who is ranked number one in the world in women’s singles badminton. The other was male gymnast Lee Chih-kai.
President Tsai had words of encouragement for the team, saying she hopes they can transcend their limits and inspire not only the people of Taiwan, but also the world. She says people in Taiwan will be glued to their TVs, cheering them on.
This year, Taiwan’s Olympics team includes a total of 66 athletes. They will compete in 18 events, including, for the first time, canoeing and karate.
Health authorities began vaccinating athletes in March to ensure everyone could be fully protected before leaving Taiwan. The team is set to depart on July 19. Joining them will be pandemic prevention staff and Digital Minister Audrey Tang, who will represent Taiwan in an official capacity at the games.