Big reward for Taiwanese Paralympian

September 25, 2004

Chiang Chih-chung, a blind javelin thrower from Taiwan, will be rewarded with the phenomenal sum of 2 million New Taiwanese Dollars (about $58,000 US dollars) for winning his event and setting a world record at the Athens Paralympic Games.

The gold is the second in a row in two Paralympic games for Chiang.

The award could actually go up, if Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian has his way. He has requested that Taiwan's National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports consider raising the amount of money given for Paralympic medal winners. 

September 17, 2004

Athens welcomed its second games of the summer, with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games today in Athens Olympic Stadium. Early participation estimates have been placed at just over 3800 athletes from 136 nations. The number of participating nations was lower than had been anticipated. Up to as many as 147 nations had been expected to enter participants in the games. Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, Papua New-Guinea and Vanuatu all dropped out earlier in the week,

Some confusion surrounded Taiwan's delegation to the games this week, and their leader, first lady Wu Shu-chen. Some Taiwanese news sources said that pressure was being exerted by Beijing to bar the first lady from being the official representative of the delegation.

Paralympic officials simply stated that she had erroneously been given the wrong credential, one reserved for national paralympic administrators. Wu is honorary chairwoman of the Chinese-Taipei Paralympic Committee. Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan claimed discrimination, the IPC said it was simply following the rules, and several other individuals who had been named team leader of their delegation (including Australia, South Africa, the United States, Germany and a few others) were also not entitled to the specific credential reserved for national paralympic administrators. Taiwanese staffers were still not satisfied, calling the slight "unendurable", and that they would not accept any switch in credentials.

Wu is disabled herself, after an assassination attempt on her husband in 1985, in which she was hit by a truck, and left paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

News sources are watching for any discourse or act of cordiality between Wu and Deng Pufang, son of China's late leader Deng Xiaoping, president of the China Disabled Persons Federation and head of China's Paralympic Delegation. 

September 10, 2004

Taiwan. Chinese Taipei. Taiwan. The issue of what to call the island lying to the east of Mainland China (an issue that goes back to the early 1950's) will be one of the more hotly debated topics in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and is sure to spark some fireworks, if not more.

The issue certainly was not quiet during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Patrick Goodenough of CNSNews.com reported last month the head of Taiwan's largest church, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan general-secretary Rev. William J.K. Lo. called for Taiwan to stand up to China's harassment by making a bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Lo also said the nation should insist on using the term Taiwan for their team and not Chinese Taipei. "If we acknowledge ourselves to be Chinese Taipei, then we are saying we are stateless," Lo said. "Other people internationally will look down on us because we've already admitted that we're not a nation."

That sentiment goes against the agreement signed between the IOC and the Olympic Committee in Taipei by which the CTOC consented to change its name, its flag and its emblem and be known as Chinese Taipei. (Ironically, according to Olympic Review in 1960, the delegation marched under the name Taiwan, "under protest" because they still considered themselves to be China's Olympic Committee and not Taiwan. In 1976, Canada asked them to use the term Taiwan, instead of "republic of China" and Taiwan refused. in 2004, the opposite occurred, Taiwan, wants to use the name Taiwan, instead of Chinese Taipei.)

According to the Taiwanese mainland China has prevailed in the international sports world in forcing Taiwan to use the words Chinese Taipei for their international sports teams.

Taiwanese officials were upset last month in Athens when advertising urging on their team in the Athens airport and on Athens city buses was either removed or obscured, perhaps at the insistence of mainland China. The advertisements even used the terms "Chinese Taipei" and not Taiwan.

Athens Olympic organizers reportedly claimed the advertising, though Olympic related," violated rules that state that "only Olympic-related advertisements are allowed in the Athens area."

Human rights groups contacted the IOC asking them to protect Taiwan's right to use the term Taiwan for their nation,

Taiwan's Government Information Office responded to the Athens advertising ban, by changing the wording of it's advertising in other European sources. Magazine ads that had read "Chinese Taipei! Go! Go! Go!" were changed to read "Taiwan! Go! Go! Go!"

Taiwanese news sources claimed that pressure from China has prevented them from hosting international games on several occasions including the s the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, the 2001 and 2007 World University Games and the 2009 East Asian Games.

Taiwan exploring 2011 University Games bid

September 9, 2004

FISU President George Killian was welcomed to Taiwan this week, by Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. 

Shui-bian reportedly asked Killian to support Taiwan's proposed bid for the 2011 World University Games according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.  

Taiwan bid for the 2007 University Games but was edged out by Bangkok, by one vote. 

Taiwan has been awarded the rights to host the World Games for the Deaf in Taipei in 2009 and the World Games in Kaoshiung also in 2009, this despite efforts by mainland China to interfere in any bids for international events that Taiwan undertakes.

August 17, 2004

The Taipei Times is reporting that a six person delegation from the 2009 World Games is currently in Athens, studying operations in hopes of putting that knowledge to work in preparing for the 2009 World Games in Kaoshiung. 

The group will be in Athens for ten days, and have already met with Ron Froehlich, president of the International World Games Association.

Kaoshiung Deputy Mayor Lin Yung-chien told the Times that the first lesson learned is that they can not waste time in preparations, and might move up some planning dates, and also need to convince the Kaoshiung city and central governments to do the same. The games organizers intend to use the games not only to publicize Kaoshiung, but the whole of Taiwan, and to help Taiwan distinguish themselves from mainland China.

The Deputy Mayor also told the Times that they have noticed that Athens does not have good Internet services for providing Olympic Games information. Lin said much information in Athens needs to be photocopied, and there is too much paper.

Athens did not have enough time to train volunteers, according to Lin there are problems such as a "shortage of resources and inadequate coordination, and the less-than-helpful, less-than-friendly attitude of the Greek people and each facility toward foreigners."

Lin said the 2009 World Games organizers would concentrate on issues such as language skills, both in their staff and in written materials and even directional signs around the city during the games, with the goal of making visitors feel at home.

Budget issues will be immediately addressed upon returning to Taiwan, and a number of test events will he held in the run-up to the games.

The 2009 organizers will also travel to observe operations at next years World Games in Duisburg, Germany.

Taiwan will also host the 2009 Deaflympics, Taipei having won the bid over Athens for those games. 

July 31, 2004

The Taipei city government has began a contest to choose both the logo and the mascot for the 2009 Deaflympics.

Artists have been directed to www.deafsports.org.tw. for information on the contest although information may not be available in English. 

The winner will receive $50,000 New Taiwan Dollars, (just under $1500 US)

The 2009 Deaflympic games have tentatively been scheduled for September 5-15, in Taipei. The city is planning to upgrade stadiums and transportation lines for the games.

June, 14, 2004

Kaohsiung, Taiwan has been named as host of the 2009 World Games it was reported in the Hindustan Times today, despite protests and attempts to intervene by China. Chinese officials had attempted, via the International Olympic Committee, to place pressure on the International World Games Association (IWGA) so that Taiwan would not be named as host for the games. China disputes Taiwan's sovereignty as an independent nation.

Kaohsiung will pay the IWGA $600,000 dollars (about 20,234,000 Taiwan New Dollars) as a rights fee to host the games. An organizing committee should be set up within the next twelve months.

The mayor of Kaohsiung, Frank Hsieh while signing the contract with the IWGA, said this was the first time Taiwan had successfully won a bid to host an international sporting event.

This will certainly be the largest international multisport event for the nation, but not the first, and not the first winning bid. Taiwan has hosted the Asia Pacific Games for the Deaf in 2000 and the International School Children's Games in 2002, and earlier this year won the bid for the 2009 World Games for the Deaf, or Deaflympics.

Taiwan showed very early interest in hosting the 2010 Asian Games, but abandoned that bid, and made it to the final voting for the 2007 World University Games, before losing to Bangkok.

This time Kaohsiung was victorious over Birmingham, England; Cleveland, US; Houston, US; and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Bidding for the 2013 World Games will open in 2008.

Hong King wins 2009 East Asian Games bid

November 3, 2003

Hong Kong, China has outpolled Taipei, Taiwan for the right to host the 2009 East Asian Games. Mongolia had earlier withdrawn from the bidding.

Annisa Wong, Hong Kong's director of leisure and cultural services, estimated the Games will cost 170 million Hong Kong dollars or 22 million $US. Earlier estimated budgets discussions in July had said that the games would take about 84 million dollars US.

Hong Kong is scheduled to host the inaugural FESPIC (Far East and South Pacific) Youth Games in next month.

Hong Kong hosted the 1982 Far East and South Pacific Games for the disabled and the 1984 Asia Pacific Games for the deaf.

The East Asian Games Association also announced the seventeen sports that will be on the schedule for the 2005 EA Games in Macao will be: athletics, basketball, bowling, dancesport, dragonboat racing , field hockey, football, gymnastics, karate-do, rowing, shooting, soft tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wushu. The games are now scheduled for October 29 to November 6, 2005.

Taipei will organize 2009 Deaflympics

February 28, 2003

Taiwan and Greece squared off one last time to convince that the 2009 Deaflympics should be held in their respective countries, ending in a bidding war which saw both of them offering financial incentives to attract the games.

In the end, CISS (International Deaf Sports Confederation) members voted 52-32 to award the games to Taipei.

The Hellenic Athletic Federation of the Deaf offered to pay for expenses for the CISS representatives and athletes to use the Olympic Athletic Center while at the games. Greece had also hoped to be able to use the existing Olympic facilities.

Chinese Taipei Sports Association of the Deaf upped the ante, offering to pay some athlete expenses and offering a gift of $100,000 U.S. dollars to the CISS.

The Deaflympics, formerly named the World Games for the Deaf, held on 19 occasions since 1924, have never been held in Asia.

Thailand chosen over Taiwan for 2007 Universiade

January 2003

Bangkok, Thailand was chosen over three other cities for the 2007 summer World University Games.

Thailand won the bid over Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Poznan, Poland and Monterrey Mexico.