TAIPEI (Taiwan New) — During the boxing final in the women’s 57kg category at the Paris Olympics, a spectator unfurled a flag promoting Taiwan independence and was promptly evicted from the venue. 

As Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) made Olympic history, winning a gold medal for Taiwan for the first time in women’s boxing, there was a scuffle in the crowd over a flag promoting Taiwan independence. The Taiwanese woman, identified by the name Liga, had a brief scuffle with security as she was escorted from the event, reported CNA. 

USA Today reported that she had an earlier altercation with the security guard involving a small flag stick. The woman is reportedly a multi-national living in Paris, and she has worked with political action campaigns promoting Taiwan in the past. 

After the incident, a CNA reporter spoke with Liga, who said she brought the flag because she was dissatisfied with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) forcing Taiwan to use the “Chinese Taipei” flag at international competitions. “I am not necessarily pro-independence or anti-independence. I just don’t like the Chinese Taipei flag. It is an insulting symbol for a country,” the woman said, per CNA. 

She said that she was aware of the regulation banning flags and posters with political slogans, but she was curious about what reaction her decision to display the flag might provoke. “The (regulations) are so general, why should this cause such political disputes?” she asked.   

Liga also told the reporter that she lived in China for four years and had several negative experiences there. “I wanted to use this opportunity to inform everyone about Taiwan, not Chinese Taipei,” Liga said. 

Taiwanese actor and comedian Esther Chen was in the crowd and live-streamed the match. She recorded part of the altercation involving Liga and Olympic security. 
 

The flag that Liga displayed was a Taiwanese independence banner, which is teal. It features the outline of a whale around the island of Taiwan, and the words “Taiwan independence” in Mandarin, followed by “I am Taiwanese, I stand for Taiwanese independence,” in English.  

Saturday’s (Aug. 10) incident at the Paris Olympics was not the first time fans with pro-Taiwan posters have been removed from the games. Several fans supporting Taiwan have been targeted by event security as well as Chinese nationals.