Chinese Taipei won its first Little League World Series title in nearly 30 years over the weekend in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but you might have had a hard time telling depending on where you read the news.
At ESPN, The Athletic and most other local and national sports news outlets, the victorious group was referred to as Chinese Taipei. That is the name used by Little League International, the tournament’s governing body, as well as the International Olympic Committee. Under the informally named “One China” policy, it is also how the United States has formally referred to the nation since 1979.
However, at the Associated Press and Fox News, the nation was referred to by the name Taiwan. That is what the nation calls itself and what most Americans might know it by informally.
The reason that news outlets face a decision over what to call the nation is because its sovereignty is disputed between the People’s Republic of China and much of the Western world. According to the BBC, just 12 countries formally recognize the island nation as Taiwan, a sovereign country. Recent reporting from the New York Times stated that the U.S. “maintains political, economic and security ties with Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds introduced a bill in March called the “America Supports Taiwan Act” that would have required U.S. federal agencies to call the nation Taiwan rather than Chinese Taipei.
The Chinese Taipei team’s LLWS win came amid frequent diplomatic clashes between the U.S. and China. During the tournament, reporters could hear the manager and players calling their nation “Taiwan.” Yet the translator, Philip Chang, explained to the Patriot-News in Harrisburg that the team was “not allowed to” use their preferred name for their nation.
A Little League International spokesperson told the newspaper that the organization defers to the IOC’s use of Chinese Taipei:
“Referring to them as Taiwan would recognize them as an independent country. Little League continues to work with the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association throughout the year to grow the game in communities across the island.
“Little League began using the designation of Chinese Taipei after consulting with numerous international governing bodies following the decision made by the International Olympic Committee in 1981.”
The story of Chinese Taipei’s dominant LLWS win is a remarkable story that history says could help grow the sport in the nation and will change the lives of the team’s young athletes. Yet this seemingly small footnote holds major significance for the nation and its neighbors.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.