TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Kendo practitioner could lose his Taiwanese citizenship for taking part in a tournament in Italy as a member of the Chinese team.
From Saturday to Monday (July 6-8), Su Yu-cheng (蘇郁程) posted photos on Facebook showing him as a member of the Chinese team at the 19th World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy. Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said on Thursday (July 11) that if it is confirmed Su has Chinese citizenship, his Taiwanese citizenship will be revoked, per Liberty Times.
On Wednesday (July 10), YouTuber Potter King (波特王) said a Taiwanese athlete participated in the World Kendo Championship on the Chinese national team. He said this “shows that the CCP's United Front has infiltrated the sports world.”
Liang said the council consulted with the Sports Administration (SA) and was informed that competitors in the tournament must hold the nationality of the country they represent and present a passport as proof. Liang said if Su represented China at the event, “We suspect he has obtained (Chinese) nationality, and we will investigate the situation.”
Liang explained the Cross-Strait Act prohibits Taiwanese from holding household registration in Taiwan and China.
The SA said it sent an official letter Thursday requesting the Republic of China Kendo Association and the International Kendo Federation to verify the identification Su used during the competition, reported CNA. If he used a Chinese passport, the matter will be handled according to relevant Taiwanese laws.
It added that if Su used a Taiwanese passport, it would violate the competition regulations and he should be disqualified.
The following is a Facebook post uploaded by Su on Monday showing his participation in the championship:
