Taiwan's small team for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing will not take part in the opening or closing ceremonies, the government said on Friday, blaming delayed flights, tough anti-COVID-19 rules and an early departure.
Self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China, had feared Beijing could "downgrade" Taiwan's status by putting its athletes alongside those from Chinese-run Hong Kong at the opening ceremony, a senior Taiwan official familiar with the matter said this week.
Sub-tropical Taiwan, which has no winter sporting tradition and has never won a medal at the Winter Games, is sending four athletes to Beijing, the same number as the previous Winter Games in 2018.
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