The Asian Winter Games has officially ended. This year, Taiwan claimed its very first medal at the event.
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00:00The Asian Winter Games in Harbin ends with Taiwan's ice hockey goalkeeper Xu Tzu-ting
00:05carrying the national team's flag in the closing ceremony.
00:10Taiwan, competing as Chinese Taipei, made history with its first and only medal ever
00:17at the Games, with speed skater Chen Ying-chiu claiming bronze in the women's 100-meter
00:22speed event, clocking 10.51 seconds and finishing third behind South Korean skaters Lee Na-yum
00:29and Kim Min-soon.
00:30It's a victory that led to Taiwan ranking eighth out of 32 competing countries, tying
00:36with Thailand.
00:38The country also made history fielding teams in women's curling and ice hockey for the
00:42first time.
00:44Xu, currently studying at Canada's Brock University, led Team Taiwan to face off against
00:50the Republic of Korea in women's ice hockey.
00:53Despite losing 2-3 in that match, the team achieved a solid result of two wins and two
00:58losses, finishing fifth overall.
01:01The team said the experience was a valuable learning opportunity.
01:05We've been training for more than 10 years now, and in the past few years, we've been
01:10able to maintain good communication and discussions with the coaching staff and the national team
01:14to achieve our current results.
01:17We think we've done a pretty good job overall, and we've surpassed the goal set by the coaching
01:22staff before the start, especially when it comes to the size of the Korean team.
01:27It's a shame that we lost the match, but it's a very valuable experience for the coaching
01:33staff and the national team.
01:35But competing in China's northern city did not come without controversy.
01:39Taiwan sent its largest ever delegation of 67 athletes to the Games, but the team was
01:44welcomed as China Taipei, rather than their official name, Chinese Taipei.
01:49It's a difference of a single Chinese character, but one that can be seen as emphasizing China's
01:54claims over Taiwan.
01:56Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council protested, saying it was an intentional move to belittle
02:00Taiwan and a violation of the Olympic model.
02:04Despite the difficulties Taiwan faces competing as a nation on the world stage, it will still
02:09have the opportunity to build on its historical achievements at the next Asian Winter Games
02:14in 2029, held for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
02:19Patrick Chen, Sandy Chee, and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.