Taiwan's Athletes Deserve a New Nagoya Resolution
In 1979, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) passed the Nagoya Resolution, which gave Taiwan’s Olympic committee the name “Chinese Taipei.”
At the time, the name may have seemed like a reasonable political compromise, but almost five decades later, Taiwan has changed so profoundly that the name “Chinese Taipei” has become an affront to Taiwanese identity. With the 2026 Asian Games underway in Nagoya, the time is ripe for the IOC to adopt a new Nagoya Resolution, one that allows Taiwan's Olympic team to once again compete under the name “Taiwan.”
In 1979, Taiwan was still under martial law and ruled by an authoritarian Republic of China (ROC) government, which had retreated to Taiwan after losing a civil war against the Chinese Communists. The ROC claimed to be the sole legal representative of China and aspired to regain control of the country it once ruled. ROC leaders strongly identified as Chinese.
Taiwan's locally born population, however, had lived under 50 years of Japanese rule, and most did not speak China’s official language, Mandarin. Although they were different from the Chinese who had taken over their island after World War II, they were expected to adopt the same Chinese identity embraced by their new rulers. Those who advocated a separate Taiwanese identity, and especially those who supported Taiwanese self-rule, could be accused of treason and imprisoned or even executed.
The ROC government wanted Taiwan to compete at the Olympics under the name “Republic of China," but the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) opposed Taiwan competing under a name that implied the ROC was the official representative of China.
By 1979, the United Nations had transferred China’s seat from the ROC to the PRC, and even the United States had recognized the PRC as the sole legal government of China. With the Nagoya Resolution, the IOC followed this broader international shift.
The name “Chinese Taipei” was meant to be a compromise. It was clearly not the name of a country, but it retained a connection to Chinese identity while referring to Taipei, the ROC capital.
After initially resisting the name "Chinese Taipei," the ROC government formally accepted it in 1981, allowing Taiwan to return to the Olympics.
For decades, nearly every country in the world has recognized the PRC rather than the ROC as the sole government of China. As a result, the names “China” and “Chinese” have become overwhelmingly associated with the PRC. When sports fans hear the name “Chinese Taipei,” it is easy for them to mistakenly assume that the team represents some part of the PRC, even though the PRC has never ruled Taiwan.
In 1987, martial law was lifted in Taiwan, marking a major turning point in the island's democratic transformation. In recent years, Taiwan has consistently ranked as one of the freest and most democratic societies on Earth. Freedom of expression has allowed a distinct Taiwanese identity to flourish. According to a July 2026 survey, 63% of people in Taiwan identify solely as Taiwanese, while only 2.5% identify solely as Chinese. Taiwan's current president, Lai Ching-te, ran a successful 2024 presidential campaign under the slogan “Team Taiwan,” something unimaginable when the name “Chinese Taipei” was adopted while Taiwan was under authoritarian rule.
Despite vast changes in Taiwanese society, the name of its Olympic team remains stuck in the past.
In 2018, Taiwan held a referendum on whether to apply to change the name of its Olympic committee to “Taiwan.” Before the referendum was held, the IOC issued multiple statements warning that it would not approve such an application. In its final letter, just eight days before the vote, the IOC warned that Taiwan might face “corrective measures,” which was widely interpreted as potential expulsion from the Olympics.
Amid these warnings, many Taiwanese athletes publicly opposed the referendum, even though some acknowledged that they preferred to compete under the name “Taiwan.” They believed that applying for a name change was not worth the risk of losing their ability to compete. Against this backdrop, the referendum failed, with 43% voting for and 52% voting against.
The IOC’s refusal to allow Taiwan to change the name of its Olympic committee is inconsistent with its treatment of other Olympic committees. For example, in 2018, Swaziland changed its Olympic committee name to Eswatini. In 2019, Macedonia changed its Olympic committee name to North Macedonia.
Before competing as “Chinese Taipei,” Taiwan itself competed under multiple different names. For example: “Republic of China” (Melbourne 1956), “Formosa” (Rome 1960), “Taiwan” (Tokyo 1964), and “Taiwan” again (Mexico City 1968). The Olympic record itself therefore contains a clear precedent for using the name “Taiwan.”
With international attention focused on Nagoya for the 2026 Asian Games, now is a historically resonant moment for the IOC to revisit the resolution that introduced the name “Chinese Taipei.” The IOC should adopt a new Nagoya Resolution, one stating unequivocally that if Taiwan applies to change the name of its Olympic committee to “Taiwan,” the application will be approved.
Such a resolution would allow the people of Taiwan to decide the name of their Olympic team for themselves, without fear of punishment.
The original Nagoya Resolution reflected the world of 1979.
A new Nagoya Resolution could reflect the world of 2026.
When the Olympic Games begin in Los Angeles in 2028, Taiwanese athletes should have the opportunity to walk into the stadium under a name that actually represents them:
Taiwan.
The above article is adapted from remarks delivered in Nagoya on Sept. 19 at a joint press conference held by Taiwanese and Japanese organizations that are calling on the IOC to allow Taiwan to compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics under the name “Taiwan.”