The Taiwan Taekwondo team won a silver medal at the World University Games in Ruhr, Germany. During the award ceremony, Taiwanese athletes received congratulatory messages from the Minister of Education, but two individuals from China in jackets with “China” on them attempted to snatch the messages. President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, expressed disappointment at this act, which goes against the spirit of sportsmanship, and strongly condemned it. Additionally, leaders from the Kuomintang and People First Party also issued statements on Facebook condemning the incident.
Taiwan’s men’s Taekwondo team, consisting of athletes Hong Jun-yi, Chung Chun-chieh, and Huang Zhuo-che, lost to South Korea with a score of 0-2, securing a silver medal at the World University Games in Ruhr, Germany. After the award ceremony, the three Taiwanese athletes were approached by two individuals wearing jackets with “China” on them who attempted to snatch the congratulatory messages from the Minister of Education, leading to a confrontation with Taiwanese media. Cheng Shi-chung, Director of the Physical Education Department of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, condemned this inappropriate behavior.
President Lai Ching-te took to Facebook to express that the core values of the World University Games are openness, inclusivity, and peace. Athletes from top universities around the world gather to compete, learn from each other, surpass language barriers, national boundaries, and attitudes towards victory and defeat to showcase youth and strength, promoting mutual understanding.
President Lai expressed, “Our athletes in Ruhr, Germany for the 2025 World University Games have shown dedication, perseverance, and passion on the field, not only moving the audience but also bringing tears of pride to people watching from afar.” Behind every medal is the result of daily training and countless self-challenges.
President Lai continued by stating his regret that during the event, “China has repeatedly pressured our delegation, not only pressuring the City of Essen to remove our national flag at the relay station but also unreasonably protesting against the audience chanting ‘Go Taiwan’ at the sidelines.” He emphasized that attempts to snatch the congratulatory messages from athletes after badminton and Taekwondo matches were in violation of the sportsman spirit and the principles of openness and respect promoted by the World University Games, deserving strong condemnation.
He concluded by expressing gratitude to all athletes who represented Taiwan and fought for national sovereignty, reassuring that Taiwan will face challenges calmly and confidently, aiming to earn more understanding and respect from the international community.
Furthermore, Chairman of the Kuomintang, Eric Chu, also took to Facebook saying, “The Republic of China is our bottom line, no one can humiliate athletes, we will always be their support! Facing Chinese Communist Party’s pressures, attempts to grab congratulatory messages from our athletes or demands to remove our national flag, the Kuomintang expresses the most severe condemnation! Protecting the Republic of China and loving Taiwan’s democracy and freedom are shared beliefs of all citizens.”
Eric Chu extended the highest respect to all athletes who bring glory to the nation on the international stage. He pledged full support for Taiwanese athletes, firmly defending their dignity, safety, and national identity on the global stage.
The People First Party issued a statement condemning the attempted snatch of the congratulatory messages for Taiwanese athletes at the World University Games in Ruhr, Germany by Chinese athletes. They criticized the behavior as barbaric, against the sportsmanship spirit, and unhelpful for cross-strait relations development. Taiwan’s men’s Taekwondo team’s achievement of winning a silver medal in Ruhr is a source of pride for Taiwan.
The People First Party emphasized that athletes representing the country in international sporting events, striving honor, while China attempts to suppress and snatch away congratulatory messages from our athletes in a crude manner, tarnishing sports exchanges. They praised officials from the Physical Education Department for bravely defending the dignity of athletes and the country, urging China to immediately cease such actions, not to use political means to suppress Taiwan’s athletes’ outstanding performances on the international stage.