"Taiwan at the Olympics" redirects here. For the team representing the Republic of China in the Olympics from 1924 to 1948, see Republic of China at the Olympics. For the Olympics in China, see Chinese Olympics.
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), currently competes as "Chinese Taipei" (TPE) at the Olympic Games. The Republic of China, representing all pre-war China, participated at the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1936, and, representing all of China including Taiwan, participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics. After the Chinese Civil War the ROC retreated to the island of Taiwan and only Taiwan-based athletes have competed in its team since then. Athletes of Taiwan participated at the Summer Olympic Games in 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 as Republic of China (ROC). The ROC boycotted the Summer Olympic Games in 1976 and 1980 until it returned to the 1984 Winter Games, and started participating as Chinese Taipei (TPE).
The following timeline concerns the different names and principal events concerning recognition of the ROC Olympic team:
1910: The "Chinese National Olympic Committee" is created.
1932: ROC competes in the Olympics for the first time as China[1]
1951: The Chinese National Olympic Committee moves from Nanjing to Taipei;[1]
1952: ROC team briefly withdraws from the Olympics[2] because its delegation was listed as China (Formosa)[citation needed];
1954: IOC adopted a resolution officially recognising the People's Republic of China (PRC) "Chinese Olympic Committee". The PRC is invited to take part in the 1956 Winter and Summer Olympics.Beijing could now send a delegation to Cortina D'Ampezzo,Stockholm and Melbourne;[1][3]
1956: ROC represented at Melbourne Games as the Republic of China. People's Republic of China withdraws from the Games in protest because in the list of IOC members two Chinese National Olympic Committees were listed;[1][3]
1958: People's Republic of China withdraws from Olympic movement and from the all the federations governing Olympic sports. Professor Tung Hou Yi, an IOC member for the PRC resigned;[1]
1959: ROC informed IOc that not control sport on Mainland China ,as the rules determines they assumed continue to be recognised as the "Chinese National Olympic Committee" title. All applications under a different name would be considered;[1]
1960: ROC committee renamed the "Olympic Committee of the Republic of China", and so recognised;[1]
1963: IOC recognizes the name Taiwan, and the NOC is allowed to use the initials "ROC" on sports outfits;[1]
1968: IOC agrees to renaming the Taiwan team as the Republic of China after the 1968 Games and to its participation under that banner;[1]
1976: ROC is not permitted to participate in the Montreal Summer Games, as long as it insists on the name Republic of China, because the host country, Canada, recognised the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China.
1979: IOC recognises the Chinese Olympic Committee as the official representative of China for the first time since Communist rule began in 1949. The IOC decision followed a postal ballot among 89 members. Under the IOC decision, the ROC's Olympics committee would renamed as "Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee"; and are now recognised only as a provincial body; and starting on Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics is not more allowed to use the ROC's national anthem or flag at the all sporting events.[1][3]
1980: ROC boycotts the Moscow Summer Games due to the decision to use the name Chinese Taipei in international sporting events.
1984: Chinese Taipei competes for the first time under the new moniker at the Sarajevo Winter Games.
Chinese Taipei athletes have won a total of 36 medals at the Summer Games, with taekwondo as the top medal-producing sport. Chinese Taipei has never won a medal at the Winter Olympic Games.