Nagoya – Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani said on Saturday that politicians should not be involved in sports, following a diplomatic incident involving a Taiwan government official at the Asian Games. Taiwan sport minister Lee Yang, a former Olympic badminton champion, was initially blocked from attending a flag-raising ceremony at the Games on Friday, triggering a standoff as the Taiwan delegation refused to participate in protest. Lee was eventually permitted entry, with the ceremony taking place more than an hour after scheduled.
Taiwan’s cabinet complained Lee had been subject to “unreasonable obstruction” in a statement and that he had obtained the required access credentials. Sheikh Joaan said at a news conference he was unaware of the incident but that politicians needed to stay out of sports at the quadrennial Games. That’s my opinion.” OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam added that the flag-raising ceremony was meant for the participants in the Games.
Lee claimed back-to-back badminton gold medals in the men’s doubles at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. The buildup to the Aichi-Nagoya Games has been overshadowed by complaints from national team delegations over organizational issues, including transport and the accommodations provided for athletes. Sheikh Joaan defended the local organizers, saying they had been solving accommodation issues as they arise.
The organizational problems have underscored the massive size of the Games, which include a record 43 sports and 469 medal events, dwarfing the summer Olympics’ 32 sports and 329 events. The OCA defended the size of the program in Nagoya, which will see the debut of “virtual” taekwondo while retaining breaking (breakdancing) and esports.
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