TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A team of mentally retarded Taiwanese children are unable to participate in the Special Olympics in the United States because of political interference, an American :onsultant to the delegation said today.
William T. Wagner, the delegation's :onsulatant, said the Taiwan team was invited to participate in the 1983 summer Special Olympics being held from July 12 to 18 in Baton Rouge, La.
Wagner said the Special Olympics headquarters in Washington notified the Taiwan team late last month that they cannot fly their national flag or use their official name of Republic of China at the games.
Instead, the team -- :onsisting of eight mentally handicapped boys and girls aged 12 to 15 -- was asked to compete under 'Chinese Taipei,' the name Taiwan agreed to use in the 1984 Los Angeles summer Olympic games.
The Taipei government refused because there are no direct relations between the Speical Olympics and the International Olympics Committee, Wagner said.
'Our youngsters are very disappointed that they cannot participate in the games under the name of their own country after training so hard to prepare for the games,' he said.
Wagner said he was saddened to see what appears to be politics being brought into a fine sports program which benefits so many mentally retarded people.
'To me, it's somewhat like bringing politics into the Red Cross or other similar neutral organizations,' he said.
Wagner did not say who was blocking Taiwan's participation, but it is widely known that China wants to bar Taiwan from any international games. China is not participating in the Special Olympics.
Taiwan was the only delegation singled out, Wagner said, even though the Coaches Handbook for the games clearly states that an athlete from each delegation will receive and carry his state or country's flag.
Taiwan used its national flag and competed under the name of Republic of China in the 1981 winter Special Olympics games in Smugglers Notch, Vt.
