It's a one-China opening for Winter Olympics

February 14, 1980

There was just one China Wednesday in the formal opening ceremonies of the XIII Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. The state's highest court declared Tuesday that it did not have the power to intercede for a Taiwanese skier who wanted to carry the Nationalist Chinese flag in the ceremonies in defiance of a rule by the International Olympic Committee.

In an effort to resolve the dispute and allow athletes from both Chinas to enter the Olympics, the committee last year ruled that Taiwanese athletes could compete, but not under the flag, emblem, or anthem of the Republic of China.