Taiwan's National Team 'Chinese Taipei' Wraps Up Memorable Olympic Games

Taiwan has walked away from this year's Olympics with seven medals after games filled with tears, joy and pride.

Transcript

00:00From the moment the national team took to stage in Paris, fans were ecstatic.

00:06Officially, the team must compete under the name Chinese Taipei to sidestep the issue

00:10of Taiwan's political status.

00:13But as the team floated down the Seine, a French TV anchor declared that this team came

00:17from Taiwan.

00:21Fans were unable to believe their ears.

00:24This was the start of a Games marked by a swelling of pride in the face of what many

00:27Taiwanese saw as moves to belittle their nation.

00:31There were moments of bitter disappointment.

00:33Thirty-year-old weightlifter Guo Xinjun fought back tears after getting bronze and failing

00:37to defend her title in what may be her last Games.

00:41She had struggled to recover from long-standing injuries.

00:55But there were also moments of sheer joy.

01:09After the second Games in a row, badminton duo Li Yang and Wang Qilin beat China for

01:13the gold.

01:14China claims Taiwan and regularly threatens the country with military force.

01:19But on the badminton court, at least, the Taiwanese underdogs had triumphed.

01:44Taiwan's dignity is always a touchy issue at the Games.

01:47Like the name Taiwan, the country's national flag and anthem are both nowhere to be found.

01:52But this year, things got especially heated, as even signs of support for Taiwan's athletes

01:56were confiscated, some by Olympic officials, others by angry Chinese supporters.

02:06And then there was the case of boxer Li Nuting.

02:08In addition to her rivals, Lin had to overcome a wave of online abuse over rumors about her

02:13gender, rumors the IOC says are unfounded.

02:17Big names who weighed in included Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

02:20But in Lin's hometown of New Taipei, fans, including the mayor, gathered to watch her

02:24take Taiwan's first-ever gold in boxing.

02:48In the end, Taiwan won just two gold and five bronze medals, not its best showing.

02:54But even without a national flag to rally around, Taiwanese fans have come together

02:58around their sporting champions, who've shown that despite its small size, Taiwan can still

03:03punch above its weight.

03:05Liffey Li and John Ventriest for Taiwan Plus.