ISU apologizes after showing wrong flag for Chinese Taipei at world championships
BOSTON — The International Skating Union apologized Thursday for displaying the flag of Taiwan, rather than the emblem of Chinese Taipei, at the 2025 world figure skating championships.
The Taiwanese flag, which features a white sun against the blue corner of a red backdrop, flashed on the video screen behind skater Yu-Hsiang Li when he was introduced ahead of his short program Thursday afternoon. It was also shown on the video monitors lining the boards of the arena during the introduction.
The public address announcer at TD Garden read an apology from the ISU before the start of pairs competition Thursday night, acknowledging the mistake. But it was almost certainly noticed by China, whose own skater Daiwei Dai was competing in the same group.
"The ISU would like to sincerely apologize for the display of the incorrect flag for Chinese Taipei during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships event today," the international federation said in its statement. "We fully understand the sensitivity of this mistake and deeply regret any offence or confusion this may have caused."
Taiwan competes internationally as Chinese Taipei, though it has long been a thorny issue on the global sports stage. Taiwan is self-ruled and considers itself independent from China, while the Chinese government claims sovereignty over the island territories.
Only 11 of the 193 members of the United Nations recognize Taiwan, thereby foregoing a diplomatic relationship with the Chinese government. The United States has a "one China" policy and does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, though the U.S. State Department has touted their "robust unofficial relationship."
In an apparent attempt to appease China and minimize political tensions, the International Olympic Committee and other various organizations that oversee global sports have allowed Taiwan to compete only as "Chinese Taipei," because the label implies a link to China.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.