Print

Mail

wiki links

2001: A Year in Review: Taiwan takes a few sporting prizes

By Jules Quartly
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER
Monday, Dec 31, 2001, Page 15

It was a game of two halves for Taiwan in sports this past year.

Not much went on in the first six months, but with the Taipei International Marathon, Baseball World Cup and AFC Women's (soccer) Championship, sports briefly hogged the limelight late in the year.

With the spotlight came the politicians, who belatedly discovered sports as a force in Taiwan's perennial struggle with China for international recognition.

The link between politics and sports was underlined when Beijing snagged the right to host the 2008 Olympic Summer Games.

Interestingly, Taiwan supported Beijing's bid for the Olympics, with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) giving tacit support and Taiwan's International Olympics Committee member Wu Ching-kuo (吳經國) openly coming out in favor of Beijing before the vote on July 13.

There had been talk of Taiwan holding events with China -- based on the model of cooperation fostered by North and South Korea when they shared the stage at the Sydney Olympics -- but this was not to be.

After the Games were awarded to the Chinese capital, Wu returned to Taiwan with the news that there was "little possibility" of such a joint venture. Instead, Taiwan may be involved with the torch relay and US$12.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects.

Domestically, sports were suffering from years of neglect and the legacy of match-fixing scandals in baseball.

Taiwan had once again failed to bring home a gold medal the previous year at the Sydney Olympics and a couple of weightlifters were exposed as drug cheats.

The only good thing to come out of the experience was increased financial inducements from the government for successful athletes.

Though Tienmu Stadium went up in time for the Baseball World Cup in October, plans for a national stadium were nearly scotched.

The Taipei City government's Bureau of Cultural Affairs wanted to develop the Sungshan tobacco factory site in Taipei -- which had been earmarked for an "egg-shaped" stadium -- into a cultural heritage center.

The Cabinet determined that a site of historic importance and a domed stadium could not "co-exist" and the idea was shelved.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) fought back, but with the economic recession an "egg" was not top of the nation's shopping list.

In October, a shudder went through domestic basketball when a professional team from Taiwan moved across the Taiwan Strait to Suzhou.

Technically, this was against the rules, but the Mainland Affairs Council caved in and accepted the conclusion of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports that Taiwan sports were just not strong enough without China.

"Considering Taiwan doesn't have many professional sports leagues, we have decided to allow Taiwanese athletes to develop their careers in China," Chen Min-tong (陳明通), the MAC vice chairman told a Taipei Times reporter.

Though Taiwan's mainstream sports were under siege, there was a burgeoning alternative sports scene.

In March, Taiwan hosted the Action Asia Challenge for the first time. It involved over 200 competitors in a rugged cross-country course involving climbing.

The activity was a big success and was beamed around the globe on Star TV. Adventure racing was on the map in Taiwan.

Street sports were also hot in Taiwan and ESPN sports TV channel teamed up with local sponsors to put on an Extreme Sports regional final in September.

Later, Nutrilite Extreme Challenge teamed up with the Aggressive Skaters Association to put on a "world-class" two-day event at the Warner Village complex in Taipei.

Last month, the three-time winner of the Taipei International Marathon, Vladimir Kotov of Belarus out-sprinted Konstantin Permintin of Russia on the final lap to win the race.

Veteran Hsieh Min-nan (謝敏男) was chosen as Taiwan's golfer of the year, provoking fears that the country's golfing youngsters are in short supply.

In announcing its decision the Golf Association of the ROC praised the 61-year-old Hsieh for his recent run of good form and long-term service to the game.

Golf is the only major international sport that currently has growing corporate support in Taiwan.

Taiwan has the courses and it has the organizational skills, as the BMW Asian Open last month proved.

Hsieh came in among the top finishers from Taiwan, but Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden took the honors at the US$1.5 million event, edging Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee by a shot.

The biggest story of the year in Taiwan sports was undoubtedly the Baseball World Cup, also last month.

After years of diminishing returns for Taiwan's "national game" -- as it was called by the president -- the country opened its account with a win against Italy in front of 10,000 fervent fans.

Other wins followed and Taiwan emerged from the qualifying games for a semifinal match-up against the US.

Team USA rolled over Taiwan, but the home team regained face after winning 3-0 in a bronze-medal dust-up with Asian baseball powerhouse Japan. The US lost 5-3 to world champions Cuba in the final.

The sight of thousands of Taiwanese painting their faces in the national colors and proudly waving the country's flag was not repeated at the AFC Women's Championships, held earlier this month.

North Korea beat Japan in the final 2-0 to be crowned the queens of Asia's soccer. Taiwan was beaten by Japan earlier in the competition.

Taipei City Mayor Ma made a plea to leave the flags at home, but was later castigated for not being patriotic.

Taiwan got its own back at the end of the year, however, when 17-year-old Tseng Jeng-cheng (曾政承) won a gold medal at the World Cyber Games in Seoul.

On finding he had won the "Age of Empires III" event he shouted, "Taiwan No. 1!" and waved an ROC flag.

The Chinese press corps was livid, but they could not prevent him from celebrating. Tseng was unrepentant and became one of Taiwan's most welcome and unexpected sports heroes.
This story has been viewed 2018 times.