Taiwan Olympians to attend opening ceremony

Taiwan will be sending its Olympians to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after it was notified by the International Olympic Committee that participation is required.

Taiwan officials said they feared China would "downgrade" Taiwan's status during the ceremonies by potentially placing its athletes by those from Hong Kong, Reuters reported.

Four athletes from Taiwan are set to compete in the Games in Beijing. The island nation, which China claims sovereignty over, has never won a medal in the Winter Games and does not have a winter sporting tradition, the news outlet noted.

On Friday, Taiwan reportedly said that its team would not be present at either the opening or closing ceremonies due to delayed flights and strict COVID-19 rules.

Officials with Taiwan later said that they would adjust their plans to attend the ceremonies after receiving "several notices" from the International Olympic Committee "requiring all delegations to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to cooperate in sending personnel to attend the opening and closing ceremonies," according to Reuters.

Taiwan did not specify how many team members would be present for the ceremonies, Reuters noted.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have been rising, with China conducting military activity near the island.

Taiwan typically competes in sporting events under the name "Chinese Taipei" at the best of Beijing, which views it as part of "one China."

China's Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday reportedly referred to the team as hailing from "China, Taipei," instead of using the official name "Chinese Taipei," drawing backlash from Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.

The council at the time accused China of using the wrong name intentionally, Reuters reported.