As the nation continues to lament its lack of outstanding sports personalities, the Chinese Taipei Darts Association (
The association was established just over a year ago and was, until recently, based out of the Kaohsiung offices of its chairman, Huang Tien-huang (
In a bid to fuel interest in darts and create a national darts league to eventually field a national team at international events, the association opened a Taipei bureau in May this year. While many local pub teams meet for social competitions -- there are 10 such teams in the Tianmu area alone -- a national squad hasn't competed on the international circuit for almost a decade.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Organized by the long-disbanded Taipei Darts League, the Taiwanese team was once a regular participant in the biennial Asia Cup and numerous other competitions throughout Asia. Lack of sponsorship deals and financial backing, however, finally put an end to the national squad.
"We used to go to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and all over Asia to compete in competitions and did quite well," recalled Jack Wang (
The new Taipei office, which is headed by the darts association's vice chairman, Hong Kong-born Tony Kuo (
Kuo is also holding negotiations with cable sports networks about the possibility of broadcasting future competitions. While TV deals and government assistance are still up in the air, the association has already enjoyed a modicum of success. Since opening in Taipei, the association's roster has jumped to over 150 members.
"We've seen some success, but we've still got a long way to go. The average person still thinks of [darts] as a game to play in the pub," said Kuo. "Because of this we're not just promoting it as a competitive sport and with the help of the city government, we are also promoting darts as a form of exercise and a game the whole family can enjoy."
The association has received verbal support from the Taipei City Government along with sponsorship deals from a couple of local newspapers and has also enlisted help from popular soap-opera stars Chang Yuen-chang (
While Wang remains hopeful of one day seeing a Taiwanese team return to the international darts circuit, he is somewhat skeptical of the tiny under-funded association's ability to maintain a high enough profile to carry out its goals.
"It's always been a question of money rather than that of finding talent able to compete abroad. There are a lot good players in Taiwan, but few people willing to back a team financially," said Wang. "The creation of a fully functioning national league will take at least one or two years."
The association held its first officially sanctioned Taipei darts competition last month, and while the turnout was still meager, participation was larger then Kuo initially anticipated. The two-day 2004 Taipei International Darts Carnival (
"We didn't expect to see a massive turnout, but with 200 people coming to play on both days of the competition I'd have to say it was a success," he said. Plans have already been drawn up for a competition in Kaohsiung in September and a first national competition will be held in December.
The December competition, the 2004 National Dart Tournament (
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