IOC Will Not Change Taiwan's Name At Olympic Games

The Taiwanese Olympic team will continue to compete as "Chinese Taipei" at Tokyo 2020.GETTY IMAGES

Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee Secretary-General Shen Yi-ting said that the IOC informed Taiwan that it "would not approve any change to the name it uses to participate in the Olympic Games," according to the TAIPEI TIMES. Shen made the announcement a day after IOC exec board member Wu Ching-kuo said that the chances of the nation attending the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as “Taiwan” were "low." Taiwan competes in the Olympics and other major sports events under the name “Chinese Taipei,” but several groups in January called for it to use its own name at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and have "advocated holding a referendum to decide the issue." Shen said that the IOC previously voiced concern regarding the issue, but the CTOC responded by saying that referendums are a "normal part of democracies and that it would be initiated by the public without the committee's involvement" (TAIPEI TIMES, 5/21).