How serious are the nation’s sports bodies about reform? An example involving the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) says it all: Former Executive Yuan spokesman Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has confirmed that he will assume the post of secretary-general of the committee in November. Acknowledging that his expertise lies in cross-strait and administrative affairs, and that he is unfamiliar with the sports sector, Sun said he would try his best to learn on the job, adding that he has been watching sports events with former Sports Administration director-general Ho Jow-fei (何卓飛).
This arrangement instantly prompts the question: How is someone whose entire working experience never involved sports qualified to lead a national sports organization?
Sun’s stance on sports affairs has left many shaking their heads and making pessimistic predictions.
On the issue of the referendum campaign calling for the nation to compete as “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei” at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and other international sports events and China’s interference with the East Asian Olympic Committee that resulted in the latter revoking Taichung’s right to host the East Asian Youth Games next year, Sun has no harsh words for China.
Aside from failing to chide Beijing for its involvement in the East Asian Olympic Committee’s decision, Sun also stigmatized civil groups’ efforts to get rid of the demeaning appellation of “Chinese Taipei” by stating: “I will try to minimize the influence of political elements as much as possible so that Taiwanese athletes’ right to compete at international competitions can be ensured and not jeopardized.”
Truly pathetic.
Who needs an aggressor like China that incessantly schemes to squeeze Taiwan off the world sports stage when Taiwan has people such as Sun who willingly give up on the fight to demand respect for Taiwanese athletes who bring honor to the nation?
However absurd this appointment is, it is not that surprising given the history of the governing bodies of the nation’s sports associations.
The management of the CTOC — as is the case with other sports associations — is not appointed by the government, but elected by executive committee members. In the case of the CTOC secretary-general, the candidate is first nominated by the CTOC chairman before its executive committee members vote on the nomination.
A glance at the executive committee shows that it is comprised largely of KMT members, such as Taipei mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) and former legislator Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄).
In other words, although the KMT is no longer the ruling party, most of the nation’s sports associations are still under its control and any move on the part of the government to reform the associations would be branded political interference.
Another example is the Chinese Taipei Football Association: As part of the government’s reforms to attempt to eliminate nepotism, and demand transparency and accountability, the Legislative Yuan on Aug. 31 last year passed amendments to the National Sports Act (國民體育法) that allow members of the public to join sports associations and vote for their leaders.
The change was instantly met with opposition from a number of sports associations, with the soccer body filing a complaint with FIFA alleging that the amended law contravened FIFA regulations, as those in power within the soccer body looked to defend their interests under the guise of “no political interference.”
So when exactly can sports associations be freed from the shackles of lingering party-state control?
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Saturday won the party’s chairperson election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes, becoming the second woman in the seat and the first to have switched allegiance from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the KMT. Cheng, running for the top KMT position for the first time, had been termed a “dark horse,” while the biggest contender was former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), considered by many to represent the party’s establishment elite. Hau also has substantial experience in government and in the KMT. Cheng joined the Wild Lily Student
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has its chairperson election tomorrow. Although the party has long positioned itself as “China friendly,” the election is overshadowed by “an overwhelming wave of Chinese intervention.” The six candidates vying for the chair are former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), former lawmaker Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), Legislator Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), former National Assembly representative Tsai Chih-hong (蔡志弘) and former Changhua County comissioner Zhuo Bo-yuan (卓伯源). While Cheng and Hau are front-runners in different surveys, Hau has complained of an online defamation campaign against him coming from accounts with foreign IP addresses,
When Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced the implementation of a new “quiet carriage” policy across all train cars on Sept. 22, I — a classroom teacher who frequently takes the high-speed rail — was filled with anticipation. The days of passengers videoconferencing as if there were no one else on the train, playing videos at full volume or speaking loudly without regard for others finally seemed numbered. However, this battle for silence was lost after less than one month. Faced with emotional guilt from infants and anxious parents, THSRC caved and retreated. However, official high-speed rail data have long
Taipei stands as one of the safest capital cities the world. Taiwan has exceptionally low crime rates — lower than many European nations — and is one of Asia’s leading democracies, respected for its rule of law and commitment to human rights. It is among the few Asian countries to have given legal effect to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant of Social Economic and Cultural Rights. Yet Taiwan continues to uphold the death penalty. This year, the government has taken a number of regressive steps: Executions have resumed, proposals for harsher prison sentences
RSS