Baseball: Taiwan Fans Sue Over Political Banner Row

TAIPEI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -2nd Sep,2016) - Taiwanese fans have filed a lawsuit against a local baseball association after they were expelled from a game this week for displaying a political banner reading "Taiwan is not Chinese Taipei".

The banner reflects frustration in self-ruling Taiwan that the island has to compete in international sporting events as "Chinese Taipei" under pressure from rival Beijing, which still sees it as part of its territory.

Taiwan takes part as Chinese Taipei at major events including the Olympics,instead of using its official title the "Republic of China" or its national flag. The group of five university students holding the banner were evicted during a home match between Taiwan and Japan in central Taichung city on Wednesday following a scuffle with staff of the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association.

The association has apologised after a video capturing the incident went viral on the internet. But it stressed that political banners are not allowed at international sports competitions, in accordance with International Olympic Committee rules.

"The staff snatched and destroyed the banner.

The students considered this action seriously affected their freedom of expression and filed the lawsuit on damage to property and coercion," said a statement issued by their lawyer.

Names and titles are highly sensitive in the diplomatic tug-of-war which Taiwan and China have been waging since 1949, when the two sides split at the end of a civil war. In June, Taiwan's football association was fined $5,000 by the Asian Football Confederation for failing to stop fans displaying a pro-independence flag at an international competition.

Fans also displayed slogans that read "Taiwan independence" and "Taiwan is not Chinese Taipei" during an Asian Cup qualifier between Taiwan and Cambodia. The confederation cited FIFA rules banning any political, religious or abusive slogans during international football competitions.

The Hong Kong Football Association was also fined by FIFA this year after fans booed the Chinese national anthem before a home game against China last November. Political tensions are high in the semi-autonomous city as fears grow Beijing is tightening its grip.