Fans Should Resist Efforts to Suppress “Taiwan” at Today’s Baseball Rematch Against China

At noon on Sunday (9/27), Taiwan will compete against China for the bronze medal in the 2026 Asian Games baseball tournament. 

During Taiwan's previous game against China on Friday (9/25), Asian Games security staff demanded that a Taiwanese fan stop cheering for their home team by holding up a towel bearing the word "Taiwan." The staff alleged that the word "Taiwan" was a prohibited political statement. Fans disagreed and proceeded to chant "Team Taiwan! Team Taiwan!"

On Saturday (9/26) when Taiwan competed against Japan, signs were placed outside the baseball stadium explicitly prohibiting ROC flags. However, the word "Taiwan" was not mentioned. The reason is because the word "Taiwan" is not inherently political and thus cannot be explicitly banned. Many fans wore Taiwan shirts and were not bothered by security staff.

However, during Taiwan's rematch against China, security staff might face pressure from China to crack down on fans who wear clothing or hold towels and signs bearing the word "Taiwan." Fans should resist. They are not violating the rules. 

At today's game, the media will be watching fans as closely as it is watching baseball players. Fans should take full advantage of this opportunity to defend Taiwan's dignity and their own right to freedom of expression. 

If the name "Chinese Taipei" continues to be a public relations nightmare for organizers of international sporting events, at some point, the International Olympic Committee will have to conclude that allowing Taiwan to compete as "Taiwan" is necessary. 

Several Taiwan advocacy organizations have called on the public to email the organizers of the 2026 Asian Games to protest the treatment of Taiwan's fans. One such message is reproduced below:

【逐家做伙寫批抗議】

歡迎大家拷貝一下的文案，寄到info@aichi-nagoya2026.jp，一起抗議名古屋亞運營運方阻止觀眾使用TAIWAN的應援物品。

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9月25日の台湾対中国戦で、「TAIWAN」と書かれたタオルを掲げて台湾を応援していた観客が、スタッフから制止されたことに強く抗議します。

「TAIWAN」という文字を掲げることの、どこが「政治的主張」なのでしょうか。

制止した具体的な規則・根拠を明らかにしてください。

台湾の選手や観客が「Taiwan」という名前を掲げることまで制限することは、決して「政治的中立」とは言えません。

今後、「Taiwan」「台湾」と表記された応援グッズを不当に制限しないことを強く求めます。

Taiwan is Taiwan.