Why audiences won’t see this flag in Olympics coverage

Taiwan's Olympic team competes under a flag designed specifically for the Games. This is why.

The flag of Taiwan with its white sun in a blue rectangle on the top left of the otherwise red flag is not allowed in Olympic venues. Source: Getty / Pornchai Kittiwongsakul

Key Points

• Taiwan competes at the Olympics as Chinese Taipei.
• Spectators at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have had signs featuring the word Taiwan confiscated.
• Athletes from Taiwan won their first gold medal at these games in a men's doubles badminton final against China.

When the gold medallists in the badminton men’s doubles stood on the dais in Paris, the flag raised was not the one recognised by their government.

Instead of the Taiwan flag being raised to celebrate Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin’s win, it was a flag designed specifically for their team at Olympic events.

Team Taiwan fans at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have also attracted extra attention. Some who displayed items showing support for Taiwan had them confiscated by security, while other incidents have been captured by photographers and shared as videos on social media.

So what are the rules around the Taiwan flag or even mentions of Taiwan at the Olympics?

Athletes from Taiwan compete in the Olympics under the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag. Source: Getty / Anadolu

Chinese Taipei Olympic team

Taiwan competes at the Olympics as Chinese Taipei to avoid objections from China, which claims the democratically governed island as its territory.

However, Taiwan has its own constitution and has been governed separately from China since 1949, maintaining it is independent.

While Taiwan's government rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, International Olympic Committee rules prohibit flags or signs that include political messages or support for countries not participating in the Olympics.

Politically charged badminton

The gold medal win, against Chinese opponents, sparked scenes of jubilation across Taiwan on Sunday while also highlighting the deep geopolitical divide between the two sides.

Wang and Lee, the reigning champions from the Tokyo Olympics, won a three-game thriller against Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.

News website Taiwan News reported that not only had the pair achieved "the country's first gold medal in Paris, but their win resulted in the Taiwan flag anthem being played in front of Chinese athletes for the second time in Olympics history".

During the match, spectators shouted "Taiwan" each time their team scored a point.

According to Radio Free Asia the match "had its live broadcast cut by China's state broadcaster CCTV to omit the sections of the match where the Taiwanese pair was clearly winning" and did not show the medals ceremony or audience celebrations.

Taiwan's Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin (centre) beat Chinese pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang (left) in the men's doubles badminton to take gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Source: Getty / Arun Sankar

The flag

Given the team is competing as Chinese Taipei, rather than Taiwan, the team can't use the Taiwan flag and instead is represented by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Flag.

The flag, which has been used at the Olympic Games since the 1980s, features a blue sky with a white sun and the Olympic rings within a flower with five round petals.

Taiwan fans at the Olympics

Mina Syue, a 28-year-old engineer from Taiwan, took a homemade banner to watch the badminton men's doubles final.

It featured the colours of Taiwan's flag — a red background with 'Taiwan you're the best!' written in blue and white.

However, Suye said her banner had been confiscated after security guards checked the message with translation software.

"I want to cheer for them," she said.

A family of four from Taiwan told the Reuters news agency they had painted the flag of Taiwan on their faces but were made to wash it off before they could enter the arena.

A woman holding a sign depicting the shape of the island of Taiwan with a caption reading "Come on Taiwan" also attracted the attention of security during the badminton.

In videos posted to social media, a man is seen grabbing the sign and scrunching it up.

Security were quick to address anyone in the crowds at Olympic events holding signs that referenced Taiwan. Source: Getty / Arun Sankar

When asked about such incidents, International Olympics Committee spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference that the conditions of entry to Olympic venues were made clear on each ticket.

As well as only allowing the display of flags of countries and territories, Olympic venues also forbid any banners that display political messages.

Where does Australia stand?

Australia operates under a One China Policy, acknowledging Beijing as the sole government of China. It doesn’t recognise Taiwan as a sovereign nation or maintain official government-to-government relations with Taipei.

Many countries engage with Taiwan informally through non-governmental channels, while still formally recognising Taiwan as part of China.