In my post about the 1964 Olympic Games, I mentioned China’s withdrawal from the FIG. Over the holidays, I was able to find the official statement from the Gymnastics Association of the People’s Republic of China.

Below, you can find a translation, as well as the original in Chinese.

China Sports Association Announced Its Withdrawal from the International Sports Federation.

Xinhua News Agency, 24th: The Gymnastics Association of the People’s Republic of China issued a statement today, strongly protesting the illegal admission of the so-called sports organization of the Chiang Kai-shek Group [Taiwan] as members by the International Gymnastics Federation, and announced that the Chinese Gymnastics Association withdrew from the International Gymnastics Federation. The full text of the statement is as follows:

At the 43rd Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation held in Zurich, Switzerland, under the control of its chairman Thoeni and others, despite our firm opposition, they illegally accepted Taiwan’s so-called sports organizations as members. In this regard, the the Gymnastics Association of the People’s Republic of China felt extremely indignant and lodged a solemn protest.

According to Article 1 of the International Gymnastics Federation’s constitution, “The International Gymnastics Federation is composed of national gymnastics groups from various countries” and Article 2 “Only one association is recognized in a country,” the International Gymnastics Federation accepts China’s only national gymnastics association. It is not entitled to accept any other gymnastics organizations in China as members except for the Gymnastics Association of the People’s Republic of China. Now the International Gymnastics Federation has violated its own regulations by illegally accepting Taiwan’s so-called sports organizations as members. This must not be tolerated. We officially announced our withdrawal from the International Gymnastics Federation.

The unreasonable practice of the International Gymnastics Federation is closely related to the U.S. imperialist policy of hostility to the Chinese people. As everyone knows, in order to occupy Taiwan, the U.S. imperialists tried every means to create a “two Chinas” situation the disguise of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” in the international arena. The aforementioned practice of the International Gymnastics Federation is precisely in line with this political conspiracy of U.S. imperialism, which is absolutely intolerable by the entire Chinese people. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s sacred territory. There is only one China in the world, and this is the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese people absolutely cannot tolerate a situation of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” in any international organizations, international conferences, and international events. The conspiracy of U.S. imperialism to create “two Chinas,” no matter what occasion or form it takes, will surely suffer a shameful failure.

Many people in the International Gymnastics Federation are fair. They have contributed to the maintenance of the International Gymnastics Federation’s constitution and the promotion of friendly relations between gymnastics associations of various countries. The Gymnastics Association of the People’s Republic of China is willing to cooperate with them. However, we must not trade sovereignty and principles, and must not tolerate the existence of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” in the International Gymnastics Federation. Only when the International Gymnastics Federation corrects its mistakes and revokes the membership of the so-called sports organization of the Taiwan Chiang Kai-shek Group, will it be possible for us to reconsider the issue of cooperating with it.

我体协宣布退出国际体联

新华社二十四日讯　中华人民共和国体操协会今天发表声明，强烈抗议国际体操联合会非法接纳蒋介石集团的所谓体育组织为会员，并宣布中国体操协会退出国际体操联合会。声明全文如下：

国际体操联合会在瑞士苏黎世召开的第四十三届代表大会，在其主席托尼等人的把持下，不顾我们的坚决反对竟然非法接受了台湾的所谓体育组织为会员，对此，中华人民共和国体操协会感到无比愤慨并提出严正抗议。

根据国际体操联合会章程第一条“国际体操联合会由各国全国性体操团体组成”和第二条“在一个国家内只承认一个协会”的规定，国际体操联合会除接受中国唯一的全国性体操组织――中华人民共和国体操协会之外，无权接受中国的其他任何体操组织为会员。现在国际体操联合会竟违反自己的章程规定，非法接受台湾的所谓体育组织为会员，这是决不能容忍的。我们正式宣布退出国际体操联合会。

国际体操联合会这一无理作法，是同美帝国主义敌视中国人民的政策紧密相关的。如所周知，美帝国主义为了要霸占我国领土台湾，曾千方百计地想在国际上制造“两个中国”或“一个中国、一个台湾”的变相的“两个中国”的局面。国际体操联合会的上述作法，正是符合了美帝国主义的这一政治阴谋，这是全中国人民绝对不能容忍的。台湾是中国神圣领土不可分割的一部分，世界上只有一个中国，这就是中华人民共和国。中国人民绝对不能容许在任何国际组织、国际会议和国际活动中出现“两个中国”或“一个中国、一个台湾”的局面。美帝国主义制造“两个中国”的阴谋活动，不论在什么场合，以什么形式出现，都必将遭到可耻的失败。

国际体操联合会中有不少人士是公正的，他们对维护国际体操联合会的章程和促进各国体操协会之间的友好关系作出了贡献，中华人民共和国体操协会愿意同他们合作。但是，我们决不能拿主权和原则作交易，决不能容忍在国际体操联合会中存在“两个中国”或“一个中国、一个台湾”的局面。只有当国际体操联合会改正错误，撤销台湾蒋介石集团的所谓体育组织的会籍后，我们才有可能重新考虑同它合作的问题。

Jiefangjun Bao (PLA Daily), July  25, 1964