Taiwan, China taekwondo teams separated to avoid tension

BANGKOK, Sep 15 (Reuters) Taekwondo World Cup organisers have been forced to separate the Taiwan and China teams to avoid clashes outside the competition arena, an official said today.

Pricha Thortrakul, a Thailand Taekwondo Association adviser, said organisers had underestimated the tense rivalry and made the mistake of letting them stay in the same hotel.

''We let them choose their own hotel but they picked the same one, so we've solved the problem by moving them to different floors to avoid any tension,'' Pricha told Reuters.

''Taiwan said they don't like China. We didn't realise things were like this.'' China considers the self-governed island to be its territory and has threatened military action if it formalises its de facto independence.

The issue has previously impacted on the sporting arena, with China often reluctant to send teams to compete in events in Taiwan.

REUTERS MQA PM0933