Taiwan may boycott Asian Games over invitation<\/p>\n
TAIPEI (Reuter): Taiwan yesterday warned it might boycott next
\nmonth's Asian Games in Japan if Olympic officials rescinded under
\npressure from Beijing an invitation to Taiwan President Lee Teng-
\nhui to attend.<\/p>\n
\"If the OCA (Olympic Council of Asia) decides not to invite
\nPresident Lee under pressure from China and Japan, we do not rule
\nout the possibility of a boycott of the games,\" Taiwan Olympic
\nCommittee (TOC) Deputy Secretary-General Chen Kuo-yi said by
\ntelephone.<\/p>\n
The Kyodo news agency quoted TOC Chairman Chang Feng-shu as
\nsaying Taiwan would boycott the games in Hiroshima if the OCA
\ndecided not to invite Lee. Chang was not available for comment.<\/p>\n
\"If Chairman Chang said so, he has his reasons and I am not
\nsurprised because he has instructed us that the committee's
\nattitude is to follow the Taiwan people's reaction, which is
\nexpected to be drastic,\" Chen said.<\/p>\n
\"However, we hope matters will not develop that far,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The controversy erupted after China protested last week
\nagainst an invitation extended by OCA President Ahmad al-Fahad of
\nKuwait without consulting Japanese officials. The Taiwan
\npresident appeared to have been the only Asian head of state
\ninvited for the event.<\/p>\n
China, the biggest foreign entry for the Games with 568
\nathletes, has threatened to boycott because of the OCA invitation
\nto Lee. Taiwan has entered 270 athletes.<\/p>\n
Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province.<\/p>\n
In a sign of how concerned Japan has become about China's
\nthreatened boycott, Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
\nstepped into the diplomatic row on Tuesday to remind Taipei that
\nTokyo has a one-China policy that recognizes Beijing.<\/p>\n
Kyodo, reporting from Paris where the Olympic movement is
\nmeeting, said on Tuesday the OCA president had hinted he would
\nwithdraw his invitation to Lee.<\/p>\n
\"But Chairman Chang told me that he had again contacted Ahmad,
\nwho insisted his stand had not changed,\" Chen said.<\/p>\n
Seven Taiwan legislators are to visit Japan on Thursday with a
\npetition signed by 113 members of parliament to try to persuade
\nJapanese officials to invite Lee.<\/p>\n
Lee had yet to decide whether he would attend, presidential
\nspokesman Raymond Tai said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"Taiwan's boycott might be a trivial matter for the Asian
\nGames, but we should not allow politics to intervene in sports,\"
\nKyodo quoted Chang as saying.<\/p>\n
Chang told Kyodo, \"A riot would break out in Taiwan if Japan
\nrefuses to welcome President Lee.\"<\/p>\n
\"Since the Olympic Games have a principle of peace and
\nharmony, we hope the Republic of China (Taiwan), communist China
\nand Japan can work a way out perfectly on this event,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A record 7,300 athletes and officials from 42 nations are due
\nto take part in the quadrennial sports event from October 2 to
\n16, competing in 337 events in 34 sports.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/taiwan-may-boycott-asian-games-over-invitation-1447893297",
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