Taipei, July 30 (CNA) The National Police Agency (NPA) faced criticism after one of its members prevented a group of Taiwanese firefighters from displaying the national flag at the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) in Canada on Friday.
Huang Yuh-min (黃郁閔), a member of the Taoyuan Fire Department, who had taken leave and covered his own travel expenses to participate in the WPFG event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, along with several other firefighters, shared his experience in a Facebook post on Saturday.
He said that they were asked by an NPA officer leading the Taiwanese delegation to put away their national flag during the WPFG opening ceremony.
In a video uploaded by Huang, a police officer, wearing a shirt with the words “Chinese Taipei” on the back, referred to the “Olympic model” while requesting Huang not to display the national flag.
In what Huang described as “the most explicit threatening tone,” the police officer inquired about Huang’s affiliated department and the two sides filmed each other with cellphones before going their separate ways.
According to the Taoyuan Fire Department’s statement to CNA on Saturday, the NPA is responsible for forming the team that participates in the biennial games, with the National Fire Agency assisting in the selection process.
One person from the Taoyuan Fire Department was selected and participated on official leave with travel expenses covered, while others from fire departments nationwide formed their own teams and partook the game at their own expense and leave arrangements, which meant they were essentially not under the NPA’s supervision, according to the fire department.
The “Olympic model” refers to an agreement signed between the ROC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1981 to resolve disputes over the representation of athletes from Taiwan in international sporting events after the ROC lost its seat in the United Nation in 1971.
According to the agreement, only the name “Chinese Taipei” and only the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) flag can be used at the Olympic Games by Taiwanese athletes.
However, the WPFG, running through August 6 this year, is not governed by the IOC.
Huang’s Facebook post sparked criticism of the NPA, with the NPA Chief’s Facebook page inundated with comments from frustrated netizens. The opposition party, New Power Party (NPP), meanwhile accused the NPA’s actions of constituting “self-censorship and self-diminishment.”
In response to the backlash, the NPA issued a news release stating that it has been following the Olympic model since Taiwan’s delegation first participated in the international competition in 1999.
The NPA pointed out that, based on past experiences, it is not guaranteed that the national flag will be displayed as expected during the opening ceremony or award presentations, given that each edition of WPFG is organized by a different host.
The agency assured the public that the delegation will make every effort to display the national flag on various occasions without compromising the participants’ qualifications.
On Saturday night, Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), who oversees the national police and fire agency, stepped in to address the situation.
He explained in a Facebook post that there might have been a misunderstanding between the two sides and instructed NPA head Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭) to convey his message to the delegation, reassuring them that they need not be worried and encouraging them to proudly display the national flag.
The WPFG is an Olympic-style competition, hosting over 8,500 athletes from law enforcement, firefighters, and police officers representing more than 50 countries worldwide, according to its official website.
