Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) The organizers of an international basketball tournament who stopped fans from displaying Taiwan's national flag at a game Thursday night acted "inappropriately" and misinterpreted the "Chinese Taipei" formula, Taiwan's top sports administrator said Friday.
The Sports Affairs Council (SAC) said in a statement that it was a "pity" to learn of the action taken by officials of the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation (CTUSF) at a game between Taiwan University All-Stars and China's Tianjin Polytechnic University at the 2010 Asian University Basketball Championship.
It described the handling of the incident by the CTUSF, the tournament's organizer, as inappropriate.
The competition, being held in the northern township of Luzhu, Taoyuan County, from Oct. 3-8, is an official international tournament and must follow the "Chinese Taipei" formula set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The formula was devised in 1981 by the IOC to enable Taiwan to participate in the Olympics under the name of "Chinese Taipei" after the People's Republic of China was admitted to the organization in 1979.
Since then, Taiwan has participated in almost all international sporting events and some international organizations under the name.
"Though the formula has been in place for years, some sports administrators still don't quite understand the regulations and principles. We want to make sure this will not happen again, " said Chou Jui, head of the SAC's International Sports Department.
Chou explained that the Chinese Taipei formula regulates protocols in areas such as competitions, training, meetings and ceremonies and also covers personnel, including athletes, officials and staff.
Taiwanese event organizers, for example, are not allowed to hang the country's national flag (which differs from Taiwan's Olympic flag) at competition venues.
The formula, however, does not regulate spectators and what happens in the stands unless organizers announce specific restrictions prior to a competition.
SAC Deputy Chairman Chen Hsien-tsung said the council has contacted the CTUSF to explain the regulations. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls