Republic of China at the Olympics
This information is about the team from the Republic of China which participated at the Olympics between 1924 to 1948. Taiwan now competes under the name the Republic of China.
The Republic of China is the name that has been used by the Tawainese (Chinese Taipei) Olympic team, however from 1924 to 1948 a team participated at the Olympic Games from the Republic of China that was made up of athletes from Mainland China, Outer Mongolia, Taiwan and Tuva, and the team was called 'China'.
In 1924, a team from the Republic of China was sent to the Olympics but did not compete. There were no athletes sent to the 1928 Games, and only one competed in 1932.
The Republic of China first participated in the Summer Games in 1932 as simply "China". After the end of the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China (ROC) party went to Taiwan which is why the ROC delegation was mostly Taiwan-based athletes. Officially, the ROC was only in three Summer Games.
Liu Changchun, China's only representative in 1932 Olympic Games (image from the official report of the 1932 Olympic Games)In 1932 Summer Games held in Los Angeles, California, USA, they had one athlete, sprinter Liu Changchun who competed in behalf of the ROC in both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. Another runner, Yu Hsi-Wei was supposed to participate in behalf of the ROC in the 1932 Games but he was detained by the Japanese at the time of the Summer Olympics.
In 1936, the ROC was able to send a significantly larger delegation that included 54 athletes to the Berlin Games. After the 1936 Summer Games, the ROC did not participate in the Summer Olympics until 1948 where they sent 31 athletes to London, England. In all three outings, the ROC was not able to take a single Olympic medal home.
Trivia
- Four Chinese tennis players attended the opening ceremony at the 1924 Olympic Games, but later withdrew from the competition. Nevertheless, this is the first appearance of Chinese people at an Olympic venue.
- In 1932, Only one athlete, the sprinter Liu Changchun competed for the Republic of China. He competed in the 100 m and 200 m sprints, and also carried the flag of the ROC.
Related Pages
- About China at the Olympic Games
- About Taiwan at the Olympic Games
- About Sport in China
- Information and history of other countries at the Olympics.
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events