Our National Olympic Committee has been a member of the International Olympic Committee for many years. We first took part in the modern Olympic games at Los Angeles in 1932. Later we sent a large delegation of over one hundred athletes to the Berlin games in 1936 and also participated in the London games in 1948. Early this year, we accepted the invitation of the Finnish Organizing Committee and have made our effort to send to the 15th Olympic games a basketball team to be led by Professor Gunson Hoh, Secretary General of the National Amateur Athletic Federation and President of the Chinese National Olympic Committee. We duly submitted our entries to the Sports Division of the Finnish Organizing Committee in accordance with its instructions. The entries reached the Committee in due time.
To our great surprise, on June II we received a cable from Helsinki stating that the International Basketball Amateur Federation could not recognize our entry and asking whether we would intend to participate in the basketball competition under the name of Taiwan. On June 16 Mr. J. Slgfrid Edstrom of Sweden, President of the International Olympic Committee, wired to the same effect. For many years we have been associated with the International Basketball Federation and have maintained our membership in good standing. In accordance with Articles 5 and 34 of the Constitution of the Federation, we have had a long history as an independent national basketball federation. Hence, we should be fully entitled to represent China in the International Basketball Federation. But our communications to Helsinki had not succeeded in changing the decision of the International Olympic Committee.
On July 2 Professor Hoh and our athletes left Taipei for Manila. While our basketball team was playing friendly games with the Philippine athletes, Mr. Hoh started all alone on an eight-day flight to Finland. He arrived in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, which is situated within firing range of Russian guns at Porkkala which Finland was forced to "lease" to Russia in 1947. As has been truly observed that people who live closest to danger are the calmest about it, foreign visitors to Helsinki scarcely noticed any Finnish alarm regarding the Communist menace against their fatherland.
In the vast bowl of concrete and wood which is the Olympic Stadium, over 5,870 athletes from 68 nations, not including China, paraded behind their respective national flags. It is to be doubted that many of the 70,000 spectators at the Olympic games at Helsinki have even noticed the single-handed fight of Professor Hoh who staunchly defended the right of participation of the Republic of China at the Helsinki Olympic games.
Soviet Russia, hitherto not a member of the International Olympic Committee, had been for the first time accepted to take part in the 15th Olympic games. Following the entry of Russia, the Finnish Radio reported on June 14 that the "charge d'affaires" of the Peiping puppet regime had protested against the fact that his "government" had not been invited to send representatives to this year's Olympic games. And the Radio added that the matter would be raised at the meeting of the International Olympic Committee due to be held in Helsinki before the opening of the games. Upon his arrival at Helsinki on July 10, Mr. Hoh stated to the United Press that the attempt to exclude the Republic of China from the Olympic games was "just a political affair. Russia put pressure on Finland to have our invitation withdrawn. It is a part of the cold war and should be no part of the Olympic games."
After Mr. Hoh's appeal to the International Olympic Committee Plenary Session on July 17, Mr. Edstrom's action was not ratified by the Committee. The picture automatically returned to its normal condition with Free China's legal standing unequivocably reaffirmed. Mr. IIoh, representing China as the President of the Chinese National Olympic Committee, told the Congress that, although some people might have said that the Chinese National Olympic Committee had not been heard of for a long time, yet this could not have been true because the address of the organization was clearly printed in the bulletin of the International Olympic Committee as early as July, 1951. He stated that he could not see any reason why the Chinese basketball team's participation in the Helsinki games became a problem and why such a decision must be brought up to the Congress of the International Olympic Committee. He went on to say that the Chinese team was coming to Helsinki for sports. Athletes must always act according to rules and be true to the ideals of sportsmanship. Unless the regulations definitely stated so, the Committee could not lightly disqualify an athlete from participation or let anyone enter the competition as he chose.
On the same day, the International Olympic Committee, after lengthy deliberation, voted 33-20 in favor of a resolution offered by Monsieur Francois Pietri, wartime French Ambassador to Spain, authorizing the athletes of both the Republic of China and the Peiping puppet regime to participate.
At a press conference following the committee meeting, Mr. Otto Mayer, Chancellor of the International Olympic Committee, stated that the action had been taken because the athletes of both the Republic of China and Red China were there or on their way. It was done for the sake of the youth of China, so that they might be there in the Olympic Village at Kapyla and "fraternize." He recognized that the action was an exception to the rules.
Mr. Hoh had also attended the press conference, at the end of which he explained to Mr. Mayer that, by permission of Mr. J. Sigfrid Edstrom, he had an announcement to make. In the words of the New York Times correspondent Allison Danzig, "after smilingly dismissing Chancellor Mayer from the room, Mr. Hoh broke the news of the withdrawal of his team from the games." "The Chinese National Olympic Committee," Mr. Hoh said in his announcement, "objects strongly to the decision made by the International Olympic Committee to allow the Chinese Communists to participate in the Helsinki games. Such a decision is unlawful, as it approves the entry of competition from China not entered by the Chinese Olympic Committee which is the only legal National Olympic Committee of China and has been duly recognized as such for many years. This action contravenes the provision of the charter of the Olympic games, under which only the National Olympic Committee can enter the competition. Such a decision has, therefore, broken the fine tradition of the Olympic games based on the principle of fairness and strict observance of rules. As a protest against such an unlawful decision, the Chinese National Olympic Committee has decided to withdraw from the 1952 games and reserves the rights under the chapter of the Olympic games in its capacity as the only legal and recognized National Olympic Committee of China."
As Mr. Hoh later explained to the Chinese press, "Although the voting was unfavorable to us, there are two points worth noting. First, allowing both Free China and Peiping puppet regime to participate automatically restores our official status contrary to the declaration of Mr. Edstrom that both the Republic of China and the Peiping puppet regime could not be permitted to participate in the games. The Republic of China has been a member of the International Olympic Committee, but the Peiping puppet regime has not been recognized as such. Secondly, permitting the Chinese Communists to participate is a temporary compromise without conferring on the Peiping puppet regime any legal right. The compromise resolution was passed mainly because Finland, the host nation, that has recognized the Peiping puppet regime and has been under Russian menace, intervened seriously on behalf of the Reds to request neutral nations to vote in favor of the resolution."
In addition to the legal distinction made by Mr. Hoh, his presence with the official badge at the opening ceremonies of the games as President of our National Olympic Committee reaffirmed our legal right as a member of the International Olympic Committee. The official badge that recognizes Mr. Hoh as President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of China, was sent to him by the Organizing Committee of the International Olympic Committee.
According to a New York Times dispatch, the decision of the Republic of China representative to withdraw meant that the flag of Chinese Communists would be the only Chinese flag to be carried along with those of the sixty- eight other competing nations in the opening ceremonies. But things did not actually occur that way. On the eve of July 18, Mr. Hoh telephoned to the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Erik von Frenckell, and told him that he must not hoist our national flag for the opening ceremonies because we had already withdrawn," and at the same time he reminded Mr. von Frenckell that the latter should not make the further mistake of raising the Chinese Communist flag. On the next morning, no Chinese flag was seen in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium when President Juho Paasikivi of Finland opened the international games. If there was any Chinese flag appearing officially at all, it was our national flag printed in the Official Guide Book for 1952 published at Helsinki by the Organizing Committee of the 15th Olympiad.
According to the Central News Agency, Mr. Hoh told a large gathering of international correspondents that the British secretary and treasurer of the International Amateur Athletes Federation tried to refund him our fees in an underhanded effort to undermine our membership status. Mr. Hoh condemned the British attempt and pointed out that our membership status could not be affected anyway. On another occasion, the Indian delegate to the Asian Amateur Athletes Federation attempted to bar our admission to the Olympic games. Mr. Hoh put up a fight for our right of affiliation and, with friendly support, succeeded in overcoming the Indian opposition.
On the day before Mr. Hoh left Helsinki for home, he wrote two letters to Mr. Edstrom and Mr. von Frenckell. Mr. Hoh pointed out Article 1 of the Olympic Charter clearly stated that the games should assemble amateurs of all nations in fair and equal competition without discrimination against any person on grounds of color, religion, or politics. But Mr. Mayer, referring to the resolution of admitting the Chinese Communists to take part in the games, told the press that it was an exception to the Olympic rules and explained that it was in keeping with the spirit of Article 1 of the Charter. Mr. Mayer could not say sincerely on behalf of the International Olympic Committee that this spirit had been lived up to under all conditions. Had this spirit been really observed, the International Olympic Committee would have allowed and accorded equal opportunity to all amateurs in the world to compete in the Olympic games without any regard to their political beliefs and status. How could the International Committee reconcile itself with this spirit when it refused participation by refugee athletes in the Olympic games?
In Mr. Hoh's letter to Mr. von Frenckell, he emphasized his tribute to the great Finnish leader and patriot, the late Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim, who symbolized the freedom, independence, and vitality of modern Finland. Marshal Mannerheim was the man who bitterly fought Russian aggressors twice in 25 years and his career told the world that the Finnish people had never compromised. However, Mr. von Frenckell went against the fine tradition when he tried to compromise during the Helsink Olympic games.
New York Journal American correspondent Lewis Burton cabled from Helsinki on July 18 that "Nationalist China, recognized by the United Nations, certainly could not accept division from mainland China by a lesser body like the International Olympic Committee and did the only honorable thing."
In support of the stand taken by the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Taipei Newspaper Guild, at a meeting at its Board of Directors and Supervisors on July 18, decided to blackout all news of the Helsinki games. The mimeographed China News, not being a member of that guild, was the only paper in Free China to give some sketchy coverage of the games.
The single-handed fight of Mr. Gunson Hoh at Helsinki has sustained our right and honor. His forthrightness and courage have compelled our admiration. Youth in Free China can best show their appreciation of Mr. Hoh's indomitable spirit by their own devotion to physical culture and sportsmanship.