Taiwan accused mainland China of dragging sport into politics on Tuesday after a multimillion-dollar international youth event due to be held on the island next year was suspended.
It comes as Beijing ramps up military and diplomatic pressure on self-ruling democratic Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold.
According to Taiwan sports officials, members of the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) voted in a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday to revoke Taichung city’s right to host the first-ever East Asian Youth Games in 2019.
Taiwan voted for the games to continue as planned, while Japan abstained. The other members of the committee – mainland China, South Korea, North Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia – voted for the suspension, according to Taiwanese officials.
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