Taiwan is about to host its largest ever sporting event, attracting thousands of athletes from around the world, but the World University Games, dubbed the “Little Olympics”, has highlighted tensions with China and Taiwan’s struggle for international recognition.

The biennial Summer Universiade will draw more than 7,000 student athletes to Taipei for two weeks from Saturday, to compete in sports from basketball to swimming to Chinese martial arts.

It is the first time Taiwan has held the Games, yet even on home turf it must compete as “Chinese Taipei” and will be unable to fly its national flag or play its national anthem because of Beijing’s sensitivities.

The two sides split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the self-ruled island as part of its territory and objects to any official diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.

Relations have deteriorated since President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office in May last year, with Beijing cutting off all official communications.

source: AFP