The name "Chinese Taipei, " which allows Taiwan entry in many international events, is one of the most controversial achievements of late International Olympics Committee (IOC) head Juan Antonio Samaranch, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 89.
The former Spanish diplomat, who died of cardio-respiratory failure in Barcelona, Spain, was instrumental in devising the "Chinese Taipei" formula in 1981 that allowed Taiwan to participate in the Games, after the IOC decided in 1979 that China's Beijing Olympic Committee would become the "Chinese Olympic Committee."
"The clever technical arrangement by Samaranch made possible the co-existence of Taiwan and China in sporting competitions and set up Taiwan's return to the Olympics, " said Wu Ching-kuo, the only IOC member from Taiwan and chairman of the International Boxing Association, in a statement Thursday.
Taiwan first competed as Chinese Taipei under the Chinese Taipei Olympics Committee flag in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Since then it has participated in almost all international sporting events and some international organizations under the name.
Huang Chih-hsiung, a ruling Kuomintang (KMT) legislator and silver medalist in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has said that Taiwan should keep politics out of sports.
But it's not always easy.
As China squeezes Taiwan's international maneuvering room, organizations increasingly refer to Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei, " including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Health Organization, among others.
Taiwan has also been called "Chinese Taipei" at Lions Club International events, the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants, the World Baseball Classic and the Little League World Series.
Opposition Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chai Trong-rong contends that the name "Chinese Taipei" sends an inaccurate message to the international community.
The name, he argues, suggests that Taiwan is happy and willing to accept the arrangement, which he compares to the status of "Hong Kong, China." Samaranch's legacy has caused another problem: translating "Chinese Taipei" into Chinese. While China translated it as "Zhongguo Taipei," suggesting that Taiwan is a part of China, Taiwan translated it as "Zhonghua Taipei, " where the translation for "Chinese" refers to a cultural entity rather than a state.
Chinese President Hu Jintao first publicly referred to Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei" when he met then-KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung in May 2009. The unprecedented move signified important political implications in cross-Taiwan Strait relations, Beijing-based researcher Xiao Yongguo wrote in an analysis for China Review News agency.
Hu's remark implied the possibility of mutual non-denial between China and Taiwan and underlined a chance for Taiwan to participate in the international community under the name Chinese Taipei while handling domestic affairs under the ROC Constitution, he said.
Thus, the name "Chinese Taipei" has created a path for Taiwan and China to co-exist in the political arena, Xiao concluded.
IOC member Wu, who described his relationship with Samaranch as "like that of father and son, " said in the statement that the former diplomat left behind a lasting legacy as a mediator between China and Taiwan as well as between South Korea and North Korea.
But Samaranch was not seen by all as a friend of Taiwan, especially in 1995 when the southern city of Kaohsiung lost its bid to host the 2002 Asian Games to its bitter rival -- South Korean port city Busan.
At the time, local media reported that Samaranch interfered with the selection process -- which was changed from a secret ballot vote to a show of hands -- that led some Kaohsiung supporters to withdraw their backing in the final vote. By Chris Wang, CNA Staff Reporter enditem/bc