The 2014 Youth Olympics, to be held August 16th in the city of Nanjing, comes as China finds itself at a diplomatic low-point with several of its neighbors including Japan. For fear of their safety, Japan warned its team not to wear their official uniforms or anything that could identify them as Japanese during the games. 

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China and Japan both claim a set of islands, and their potential oil reserves, off the coast of Taiwan. Called the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, the archipelago set off a fierce territorial dispute beginning in 2012. Taiwan also claims the islands. 

Anti-Japanese sentiment already runs deep in Nanjing. Formerly known as Nanking, it is also the site of one of the most grisly war atrocities Japan inflicted on China in WWII, the infamous Rape of Nanking. In 1937, Imperial Japanese troops took the city and proceeded to murder 300,000 of the city's estimated 600,000 civilians and defendants, including 90,000 Chinese soldiers who had surrendered. The carnage lasted six weeks, and Japanese revisionist interpretations of the massacre continues to strain ties between the two nations.

In light of history and the current border row, Japan's Youth Olympics delegation chief Yosuke Fujiwara has told his country's 78 athletes to wear regular clothes outside the gaming venues during to avoid the potential of an attack or mugging. During the 2004 AFC Cup held in Beijing, Chinese fans rioted after their team lost to Japan in the final match.

"When they are outside we want them to be aware that it might not be totally safe," Fujiwara told Kyodo news agency, continuing that official Japanese uniforms should be worn only in the athlete's village.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced he will attend the opening ceremony of the Games, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza, President of Fiji Epeli Nailatikau, President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen, President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic, President of Singapore Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister of Vanuatu Joe Natuman.

The Nanjing Youth Olympic Games run August 16th to 28th for athletes aged 15 to 18, and includes 28 sports. 

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