| Chinese Taipei at the 2008 Summer Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | TPE |
| NPC | Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee |
| in Beijing | |
| Competitors | 17 in 6 sports |
| Flag bearer | Hou Ting Sung |
| Medals Ranked 50th |
|
| Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | |
Chinese Taipei competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. The delegation consisted of seventeen competitors in six sports: archery, track and field athletics, powerlifting, shooting, swimming, and table tennis. The athletes were ten men and seven women ranging in age from 27 to 53 years old.[1]
"Chinese Taipei" is the delegation name used since 1979 by athletes from Taiwan and the Taiwan Area at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.[2] Thus, Chinese Taipei's participation in the Beijing Paralympics did not contradict the One China policy and was not objected to by the People's Republic of China.
As in previous editions of the Summer Paralympics, the flag of the Republic of China was not displayed. Instead, the Chinese Taipei Paralympic flag was used when Taiwanese athletes won medals. When Lin Tzu-hui of Chinese Taipei won a gold medal, the National Banner Song, not the National Anthem of the Republic of China, was played at the medal ceremony.[3]
Three days before the beginning of the Games, the Taipei Times reported that two of Chinese Taipei's star athletes, double Paralympic champion Chiang Chih-chung and world athletics champion Chen Ming-tsai, had been barred from attending by the International Paralympic Committee. The Times added that no reason had been given for the ban, even after the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee had requested an explanation from the IPC. A representative of the CTPC stated that the People's Republic of China may have "interfered for political reasons" to prevent Chiang and Chen from participating in the Games.[4] The Taipei Times article was subsequently reproduced on the Taiwanese government's website.[5]
- ^ "Chinese Taipei athletes ready for Paralympics". China Daily. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "Reinstatement in the Olympic Movement", Chinese Olympic Committee, March 27, 2004
- ^ "Taiwan shut out of Olympic warm-up", Taipei Times, February 22, 2008
- ^ "Local javelin ace banned from Beijing Paralympics", Taipei Times, September 3, 2008
- ^ "taiwanheadlines.gov.tw". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.