林佳龍台北開國際記者會 正式向EAOC提申復案

林佳龍台北開國際記者會 正式向EAOC提申復案

【新唐人亞太台 2018 年 07 月 30 日訊】中共主導東亞奧林匹克委員會(EAOC)取消台中市2019東亞青年運動會主辦權，事件引發國內外關注。台中市長林佳龍今天(30日)下午1點30分，在台大國際會議中心召開國際記者會，正式向EAOC提出申復，並同步向各會員國家地區代表表達嚴正立場。現場記者爆滿，包括日媒、美媒、法新社等多家國際媒體都到場關注。以下是林佳龍在記者會上的說明：

各位媒體朋友大家午安，我是台中市長林佳龍。

我要在這裡先謝謝大家這陣子持續關注2019年第一屆東亞青年運動會遭到取消的事件，也謝謝大家今天前來。

今天，我以首屆東亞青年運動會主辦城市首長，以及東亞青年運動會籌備委員會主委身份，召開這場國際記者會，我希望藉由今天這個場合，讓台中市民的聲音和訴求能夠被國際聽見，並喚醒國際社會重視我們現在面臨打壓的處境。

就在2018年7月24日時，東亞奧林匹克委員會（EAOC）召開臨時理事會，取消了明年原訂在台中舉辦的首屆東亞青年運動會，這對包括台灣在內的共9個參賽國家地區的青年選手而言，是非常巨大的打擊。台中市在非常唐突的情況之下被通知這個程序倉促而粗暴的決定，全體台中市民及台灣人民都無法諒解，台中市政府也無法接受。

為了捍衛選手的參賽權以及奧會的精神，台中市政府與東亞青年運動會籌委會在今天已經正式向EAOC提出申復，要求繼續主辦2019年東亞青年運動會。這份申復信函也已經同時寄發給其他原訂參與本次賽會的8個國家地區，包含日本、韓國、北韓、香港、澳門、蒙古、關島與中國。我期盼台中此次遭受的不公平待遇能為國際社會重視，我也在此呼籲國際社會間的友人，共同為台灣與各國選手發聲，向EAOC抗議這個不合理也不合法的決議。

從7月24日接到通知的當下開始，台中市政府立即展開與相關單位及學者專家的討論，全力研究可行救濟途徑及申復內容。經過縝密研商，台中市政府以四大理由，向EAOC提出申復：

第一，奧林匹克運動會所提倡且秉持的精神，是要鼓勵來自全世界不同國家及地區的運動員，透過公平的競爭進行交流。我相信所有參賽的國家地區，也都將這次東亞青年運動會視為培養青年選手、提供青年選手交流切磋舞台的絕佳機會；而這次EAOC貿然取消在台中市舉行東亞青年運動會，不僅違背了奧運精神，也違反EAOC會章明定「推廣東亞地區之奧林匹克運動」的宗旨。

第二，EAOC理事會議在7月24日做成取消2019年東亞青運的決議前，未曾正式告知主辦的台中市有任何違反或不執行合約書條款或東亞奧會會章之處，或有不遵守承諾之事；相反地，過去三年間EAOC還曾由主席劉鵬組隊前來台中市了解東亞青年運動會的籌辦情形、具體進行意見交流，更肯定台中市政府及籌備委員會的努力及成果。EAOC取消賽會的決定，不僅唐突，也毫不合理。

第三，在台中市2014年10月24日與EAOC簽訂的2019年第一屆東亞青年運動會主辦城市合約書中，第24條明定「爭議應以和諧磋商解決」。然而，於今年7月24日臨時召開的這場會議，卻從未給予主辦的台中市政府任何說明或答辯的機會；在做成決議之前，台中市政府更未曾被邀請參與任何磋商。這場理事會的召開明顯違反合約內容，並且直接侵犯了台中市政府作為合約當事人的權利。

第四，在EAOC於7月25日通知台中市政府/籌備委員會取消東亞青年運動會的來函中，也隻字未提任何此一決議的具體理由，無法說明台中市政府有任何違規之處，更無法說服全體台中市民及台灣人民賽事被粗暴地取消有其合理合法之處。

特別是在EAOC做出此項決議之後，中國國務院對台事務辦公室（國台辦）就發布公開聲明，宣稱EAOC取消明年東亞青年運動會，原因在於台灣民間部份人士發起2020東京奧運正名公投，公開承認賽會取消是基於政治因素。

對於政治力介入干擾體育、阻礙賽會舉辦，全體台灣人民都無法接受這個荒謬的理由。我更要強調，在民主國家裡，人民透過公民投票展現民意是再正常不過的事情。中國擅自宣稱以一場台灣民間發起、尚未成案的公投作為賽會取消原因，不僅展現中國對台灣民主的不理解、恐懼與過度防禦，也證明我們必須團結一致捍衛自身的權益。

依據以上四大理由，首屆東亞青年運動會主辦城市台中市政府、以及東亞青年運動會籌備委員會，今天已正式向EAOC提出申復，要求繼續由台中主辦2019年東亞青年運動會。

台中市自2014年10月24日起擔任東亞青年運動會的主辦城市，三年多來歷經兩任市長，賽會籌備團隊都是全力準備。在建設場館和規劃賽事上，到現在已經投入新台幣6億7672萬6000元，一切籌辦情形都符合預期進度，也獲得EAOC的肯定。在明年原定於8月24日到8月31日舉辦的東亞青年運動會中，將有來自9個國家地區、共計近2300名運動選手及隊職員前來台中參與14項賽事。這是首度在台灣主辦奧會體系的運動賽會，是東亞地區優秀青年選手相互交流切磋的絕佳機會，也是台中市民、台灣人民共同期待的運動盛會。種種的努力與期盼都應該被尊重，絕不該被漠視，更不該被政治因素抹煞。

我們不能讓大家投注的努力付之流水，也不能讓全體台中市民與青年選手的期待化為泡沫。我要在這裡感謝這段時間以來，中央政府、中華奧會以及各相關單位給予台中市政府的協助與努力。這是一個艱難的時刻，也是我們要團結一致的時刻，我們不會放棄，我們會用盡全力，捍衛台中市民、台灣人民與青年選手的權利。

我要向東亞奧林匹克委員會發出抗議，並且呼籲國際社會共同關注。台中現正遭遇的不只是一場比賽機會的流失，而是不公平、不公正並且粗暴的對待，是政治力對體育的過份干擾與侵犯，更在國際運動史上寫下最不光彩的一頁，我相信這絕非國際社會所樂見。懇請國際社會間的朋友，請傾聽台中的聲音，請為我們發聲，請與我們一同兌現這場與世界的約定，請與我們一起捍衛國際所共同信仰的運動精神。謝謝。

Statement

Dear friends from the press, good afternoon. I am Taichung City Mayor, Chia-Lung Lin.

First of all, I would like to thank each of you for following the developments of the cancellation of the 1st East Asian Youth Games (“EAYG”) in 2019. Thank you for being here today.

As the mayor of the host city for the first East Asian Youth Games (“EAYG”) and the president of the Taichung 2019 EAYG Organizing Committee, I am holding this international press conference in the hope that the voice and demands of the citizens of Taichung can be heard by the international community. At the same time, I would like to urge the international community to recognize the severe pressure and suppression that we have been subjected to.

On July 24, 2018, the East Asian Olympic Committees (EAOC) held an Extraordinary Council meeting to cancel the 2019 EAYG, which was slated to be held in Taichung. It was a major disappointment for the young athletes from the 9 nations and regions, including Taiwan. Taichung City was informed of this crude and abruptly-made decision very suddenly. All of the citizens of Taichung city as well as Taiwan do not accept nor understand this decision, and the Taichung City Government finds this unacceptable.

In order to protect the rights to athletic competition for the athletes as well as safeguard the Olympic spirit, the Taichung City Government and the Taichung 2019 East Asian Youth Games Organizing Committee have formally lodged a complaint to the EAOC, requesting that Taichung continue to host the 2019 East Asian Youth Games. This complaint letter has also been delivered simultaneously to other eight EAOC member National Olympic Committees (“NOCs”), including Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Guam and China. I hope that such unfair treatment towards Taichung can be recognized by the international community. I hereby urge our friends in the international community to jointly speak on behalf of the athletes from all participating countries and regions including Taiwan and to protest against this unfair and illegal resolution.

On July 24th, starting from the moment that we received the notice, we Taichung City Government immediately initiated discussions with related agencies and academic experts and professionals, in the hope to find out feasible remedies. After extensive discussion, the Taichung City Government has lodged a complaint based on four major points as follows:

First, the spirit promoted and upheld by the Olympic Games encourages athletes from countries and regions around the world to conduct exchanges through fair competition. I believe that all of the participating nations and regions for the EAYG also see this arena as a great opportunity to groom young athletes and to provide them with a place to exchange with their fellow youth athletes. As such, the abrupt cancellation of the 2019 EAYG in Taichung by the EAOC, not only went against the Olympic spirit, but it also violated the EAOC’s Constitution, which explicitly stipulated “to promotethe Olympic Movement in East Asia” as its mission.

Secondly, prior to the resolution on July 24th to cancel the 2019 EAYG, EAOC did not formally inform the host, Taichung City, of any violation of or failures to perform according to the Contract, the EAOC’s Constitution or commitments that we had made. Conversely, over the past three years, the EAOC has ever visited Taichung with delegations led by its President, Liu Peng, to learn about the organizing status of the first EAYG as well as to exchange opinions with each other. During the visit, the delegation also acknowledged the efforts and achievements made by the Taichung City Government and the Organizing Committee. The EAOC’s decision to cancel the games was not only abrupt but also irrational.

Thirdly, under the Host City Contract for the 1st East Asian Youth Games in 2019 (“Contract”), signed by Taichung City (and Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee) and EAOC on October 24, 2014, Article 24 stipulates that “any dispute … shall be resolved through amicable consultation.” However, during the Extraordinary Council Meeting held on July 24th, the Taichung City Government was not given any opportunity to explain or defend against the accusations. Prior to the resolution, the Taichung City Government was never invited to participate in any form of consultation and negotiation. This Council meeting clearly violated the Contract and directly infringed upon the rights of Taichung City Government as the signatory of the Contract.

Fourthly, in the letter from EAOC addressed to the Taichung City Government/Organizing Committee on July 25th, not a single mention was made regarding the substantial reason behind the resolution, nor did it explain any violation on the part of the Taichung City Government. Moreover, it failed to convince the citizens of Taichung and the people of Taiwan the rationality and legality of this crude cancellation of the Games.

In particular, soon after the EAOC made this resolution, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council released an official statement, claiming that EAOC’s cancellation of next year’s EAYG was due to the “name-change” referendum campaign started by some of Taiwan’s citizen for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, publicly and formally acknowledging that the Games were cancelled due to political factors.

The people of Taiwan cannot accept such a ridiculous reason that the political force could disrupt sports and prevent the games from being held. I want to further stress that in a democratic country, it is more normal than ever for the people to demonstrate the public sentiment through referendums. China’s unilateral claim that the cancellation of the Games is due to a referendum, which was incidentally organized by the citizens and not yet formally put for voting, precisely demonstrates China’s lack of understanding, fear and zealous defensiveness towards Taiwan’s democracy and also proves that we need to be united in the efforts to fight for our rights.

Based on the four aforementioned points, as the host city of 1st EAYG in 2019, Taichung City Government and the EAYG Organizing Committee have formally lodged a complaint to the EAOC, requesting that Taichung continue to host the 2019 East Asian Youth Games.

From October 24, 2014, Taichung City took on the role of hosting the first East Asian Youth Games. Over the course of three years and two mayors, the Organizing Committee have been hard at work in preparing for the games. In terms of building sports arenas and organizing the games,more than NT$672 million (US$21.87 million) have been investedto date. All of the preparation was on time and the efforts was recognized by EAOC. The first EAYG was planned to be held between August 24th and 31st, 2019, and close to 2,300 athletes and delegation members from nine countries and regions were expected to participate in 14 competitions. This would have been the first time that a sports event under the Olympic Committee System to be hosted in Taiwan. It is a fantastic opportunity for the athletes from the East Asian Region to exchange and compete with each other. It is also a sports event that the citizens of Taichung and the people of Taiwan have been highly anticipating. All of these efforts should be respected and not neglected, nor should it be nullified due to political factors.

We cannot let everyone’s efforts go to waste, nor should we ignore anticipation from the Taichung citizens and the youth athletes and let them down. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the support and efforts from the central government, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and all related agencies. This is a difficult moment, and it is also a time we need to remain united. We will not give up, and we will put all our efforts in fighting for the rights of the Taichung citizens, people of Taiwan and the youth athletes.

I would like to lodge a protest towards the EAOC and also urge the international community to join us in following this matter as it develops. For Taichung, we are not just experiencing the loss of hosting the games, but facing a highly unjust, unfair and crude treatment. It is the violation and interruption of sports by political power, and it is a disgraceful chapter in the history of international sports. I trust that this is not a situation that the international community is willing to witness. I sincerely urge our friends in the international community to hear the voice of Taichung, speak on our behalf, join us in fulfilling our commitment with the world, and join us in fighting for the universal values of sportsmanship. Thank you.