Hungry for a first-ever Olympic gold medal, Taiwan's government will give NT$12 million (US$342,000) to athletes who strike gold in Athens.
China has pledged to give its gold medalists 200,000 yuan (US$24,000), while Japan will offer US$45,000 and South Korea US$130,000.
Taiwan's offer is the highest among Asian countries, but the real issue is that the government has not provided enough resources for athletes nor proposed an adequate plan to cultivate a better sporting environment, said Tseng Wen-cheng (
"You can't expect athletes to suddenly become different people by showing them a lot of cash," Tseng said.
"We have always suggested that the government allocate funds for training instead of using them as a reward, which actually never ends up in the pockets of the athletes," he said.
Taiwan's failure to get a single Olympic gold medal in 44 years is all the more frustrating because the nation's economic circumstances indicate it should have performed better in developing its sports infrastructure.
"Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves exceed US$190 billion, ranking No. 3 in the world, while the nation's economic competitiveness is ranked fifth in the world, and No. 1 in Asia for two years running," said Chen Ih-eng (
"Taiwan has spent five decades developing its economy and all people have done is earn money," Chen said.
"Only when our public changes its thinking will we be able to cultivate the number of world-class athletes needed to win a gold medal," he said.
Chen heads a 2009 World Games delegation for the Kaohsiung City Government to the Games to learn from Athens' organizing committee.
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