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As a baseball fan, I am writing this letter to advocate for the restoration of "Taiwan" in Little League competition. There's nothing quite like rooting for Little Leaguers around the world, but that experience is tarnished when one of the teams is forced to describe itself as being from "Chinese Taipei."
For context, Taiwan has had a storied history with Little League, having won 17 titles from 1969 to 1996. That history is also filled with controversy as boundary rules eventually led to Taiwan's departure from Little League in 1997 (returning in 2003).
But imagine if the West Region was represented by a team from "English Honolulu" instead of Hawaii; or the Southwest Region, "Mexican Austin" instead of Texas. That would be absurd!
The name "Chinese Taipei" was a compromise between the International Olympic Committee and the national constituent representing Taiwan when international recognition shifted to the People's Republic of China in the 1970s. The government that approved of the name change still proclaimed to be the legitimate government of China and wished to one day "take back the mainland."
That was not and has not been the goal of most Taiwanese, who simply wish to live in democratic society (eventually realized) and without fear of a Communist invasion.
In any case, an antiquated agreement between Olympic Committees should not dictate how Little League describes actual geography. Even as Taiwan continues to compete begrudgingly in the Olympics under this name due to continued pressure from China, there is no reason to change the way Taiwanese players describe where they are from.
I encourage you and your readers to contact Little League International, specifically its CEO Steve Keener and Chairman Hugh E. Tanner, to fix this glaring and absurd error. Make baseball sane again, and let Taiwan be Taiwan.
JERRY CHEN
New York City
Submitted by email