Su Li-chiung condemned last night's protests ©Taipei 2017

Taipei 2017 Organising Committee chief executive Su Li-chiung has condemned the protests at last night's Opening Ceremony and promised stricter safety measures for the rest of the Universiade.

Proceedings were running smoothly until the Parade of Nations was disrupted at the Taipei Stadium with some delegations prevented from entering by protesters.

It was revealed earlier today that 128 protest groups involving 1,100 people surrounded the arena.

Local reports have suggested the protests may have been sparked over a pension dispute with those involved slammed by political groups overnight.

In the absence of the teams, volunteers instead paraded the national flags with nobody alongside them.

Eventually though, and to the delight of the crowd, local authorities dealt with the situation allowing all athletes to enter the stadium to a wall of noise.

"The Organising Committee worked with the police to deal with the protest and our priority is the safety of the athletes," Su said.

"After yesterday's incident, we now have a stricter approach.

"A security team member will be on every bus and we have also contacted the neighbouring cities that will be hosting events to increase their police patrols.

"We will take strict measures to sort this situation.

"I know Taiwan is a democratic country but we need to put the Universiade back in the spotlight.”

Protests meant athletes could not enter the stadium during the Parade of Nations ©Taipei 2017
Protests meant athletes could not enter the stadium during the Parade of Nations ©Taipei 2017

Sung-Chen Huang, the commissioner of the Universiade Security Department, revealed protesters threw smoke grenades and that one person has been arrested.

"The Canadian team were quickly rushed from the scene and returned to Taipei Arena, which was acting as a holding pen," he said.

"Police immediately sent an overwhelming presence and the situation was contained inside 10 minutes.

"The line of defence was not compromised, no-one was hurt.

"The police arrested one person on the scene for the sake of public safety and we will continue to investigate by reviewing security footage.

"The Organising Committee has increased security at athlete entry points and exit routes to ensure the safety of the athletes because they are the stars of the Universiade."

Su also promised a "comprehensive review" of security procedures but insists that will not take place until after the Universiade is finished.

This is because she does not want to remove any security forces from vital posts.