Taiwan will not send a team to next year’s Gay Games in Hong Kong because of fears their athletes and staff could be arrested if they wave the island’s flag or use its name.
The revelation means the only place in Asia to have legalised same-sex marriage will not be at the continent’s first-ever Gay Games.
“We have decided not to send a national delegation as we don’t expect to be able join as Taiwan and to ensure personal safety of the athletes,” Yang Chih-chun, president of the Taiwan Gay Sports and Movement Association (TGSMA), told AFP.
Yang said his organisation, a formal member of the Federation of Gay Games, would assist any Taiwanese player who wanted to attend in a personal capacity.
“But we won’t actively encourage individual participation since there’s no guarantee of a player’s personal safety because under Hong Kong’s national security law, arrests can be made under any excuse,” he said. Yang added that he feared athletes could easily “cross the red line” if they spoke their minds.
In a statement, the Gay Games said it would follow the convention of Taiwan being called either “Chinese Taipei” or “Taiwan region”.
Athletes from Taiwan and the TGSMA were welcome to attend, organisers said, adding: “We are strictly non-partisan and non-political, and we ask all participants and visitors to respect and observe local laws and customs during their stay in Hong Kong.”
additional reporting: AFP