A look at the current Asian Games medal table reveals an intriguing aspect. As of 25 September, China has already won 39 gold medals and it looks like no other nation is going to even get close to China as far as medal count is concerned. India has also won 2 gold medals so far and is in the 5th place. What’s particularly noteworthy is that among the top ten in the medals table, three entries in the ‘country’ column are not sovereign or independent nations – Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, and Macao China. While Hong Kong and Macao China are special administrative regions of China, Chinese Taipei (officially the Republic of China) is a separate country more commonly known as Taiwan, a nation not recognized by the People’s Republic of China. It is interesting to note that Taiwan, a country that is not recognized by the People’s Republic of China, is participating in the Asian Games in China as a separate country. It is also interesting to note that Honk Kong and Macao China participate in the Asian Games as separate countries. Interestingly, Hong Kong also participates in the Olympics as a separate country but Macau does not. Taiwan also participates in the Olympic Games under the name ‘Chinese Taipei’.
In a way, this situation can be as perplexing as the distinctions between the UK and Great Britain in the Olympics and other international sporting events, at least to the lay people. The political status of the countries involved may vary but it remains equally intriguing. The United Kingdom is used to describe the political unit consisting of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries, in essence, are not independent countries. They participate collectively as Great Britain in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games but compete separately in other international sports competitions such as the FIFA World Cup or UEFA Euros. Note that Britain or Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland. One wonders how these abstruse rules are made and by whom.
Of course, there are rules. The IOC only allows sovereign nations to participate in the Olympic Games (but there are exceptions, like Chinese Taipei). On the other hand, the OCA allows both sovereign and non-sovereign nations to participate in the Asian Games. This is why Hong Kong, Macao, and Chinese Taipei are able to participate in the Asian Games as separate countries.
The point is, the unique and sometimes complex political and sporting dynamics involved in international competitions, particularly in the context of countries or regions with distinct political statuses, is an interesting subject. More so because it projects the Westphalian framework of nation-states is not the only paradigm.
