In a bid to boost Taiwan's sport activities, lawmakers from across party lines teamed up with two former Olympic medalists yesterday to call on the government to upgrade the Cabinet-level National Council for Physical Fitness and Sports (體委會) into a ministry.
The former Olympians are Yang Chuan-kuang (楊傳廣), the silver medalist in the decathlon of the 1960 Rome Olympics, and Chi Cheng (紀政), the winner of the bronze medal in the 80m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. They both attended a public hearing organized by legislators from across the political divide yesterday, to voice their support for the request.
In an attempt to downsize the government and restructure the Cabinet, the Executive Yuan approved a draft of the Executive Yuan Organization Act (
The draft has caused unhappiness in the nation's sports circles as well as in the ruling DPP. This means that the draft is still far from getting passed by the Legislature. The current legislative session is scheduled to end on June 20.
DPP lawmaker Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) said during yesterday's hearing that a draft bill to push for a Ministry of Physical Education (體育部) would be introduced during the next legislative session.
Wang said the government's annual budget for sports-related activities in Taiwan has so far amounted to less than NT$4 billion a year, which is far less than that of western countries.
Wang criticized the budget as allocating too little to the cultivation of the nation's sporting ability.
Yang, the former Olympic medalist, yesterday thanked the lawmakers for their support for the cause that he has been devoted to for years.
"Though many Taiwanese kids love sports," said Yang, "due to their parents' fears that there is no future for athletes in Taiwan, sports has never been a serious matter in this country."
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