Liao Lin Li-Ling's (廖林麗玲) article ("Why can't Taiwan host the Olympics?", Aug. 10, page 8) shows that she has some knowledge of sport and how hosting a major international sporting event could benefit Taiwan. What is obvious to her, however, is certainly not so obvious to many Taiwanese, and this is why it is foolish to think Taiwan is ready to organize an event such as the Olympics.
Taiwanese have no idea how to organize an international tournament. And empty stadiums during the Baseball World Cup showed that Taiwanese will not watch a sports event for the beauty of the game, nor watch athletes other than Taiwanese.
The Futsal World Cup staged here in 2004 was also a fiasco in terms of organization, sponsorship and public interest. What was the point? There was little interest in futsal in Taiwan before the tournament and there is no interest now.
Attitudes toward sport here are slowly changing but it will take one, if not two, generations for Taiwanese to integrate sport into their daily lives.
Looking at hosting the 2040, 2044 or 2048 Olympics would still be optimistic in my opinion, but is definitely a more realistic target.
If you want to use the 2020 Olympic Games as a wake-up call for Taiwan, all we will get will be comments like President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) declaration about sending 20 soccer players to Brazil to boost the nation's chance of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Such naive statements will only harm Taiwan's international image.
David Camhi
Taiwan
When it became clear that the world was entering a new era with a radical change in the US’ global stance in US President Donald Trump’s second term, many in Taiwan were concerned about what this meant for the nation’s defense against China. Instability and disruption are dangerous. Chaos introduces unknowns. There was a sense that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) might have a point with its tendency not to trust the US. The world order is certainly changing, but concerns about the implications for Taiwan of this disruption left many blind to how the same forces might also weaken
As the new year dawns, Taiwan faces a range of external uncertainties that could impact the safety and prosperity of its people and reverberate in its politics. Here are a few key questions that could spill over into Taiwan in the year ahead. WILL THE AI BUBBLE POP? The global AI boom supported Taiwan’s significant economic expansion in 2025. Taiwan’s economy grew over 7 percent and set records for exports, imports, and trade surplus. There is a brewing debate among investors about whether the AI boom will carry forward into 2026. Skeptics warn that AI-led global equity markets are overvalued and overleveraged
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday announced that she would dissolve parliament on Friday. Although the snap election on Feb. 8 might appear to be a domestic affair, it would have real implications for Taiwan and regional security. Whether the Takaichi-led coalition can advance a stronger security policy lies in not just gaining enough seats in parliament to pass legislation, but also in a public mandate to push forward reforms to upgrade the Japanese military. As one of Taiwan’s closest neighbors, a boost in Japan’s defense capabilities would serve as a strong deterrent to China in acting unilaterally in the
Taiwan last week finally reached a trade agreement with the US, reducing tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15 percent, without stacking them on existing levies, from the 20 percent rate announced by US President Donald Trump’s administration in August last year. Taiwan also became the first country to secure most-favored-nation treatment for semiconductor and related suppliers under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act. In return, Taiwanese chipmakers, electronics manufacturing service providers and other technology companies would invest US$250 billion in the US, while the government would provide credit guarantees of up to US$250 billion to support Taiwanese firms
RSS