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Taiwan confirms qualification for Beijing Olympics

The Sports Affairs Council announced yesterday that Taiwan has qualified to compete in the Beijing Olympics in eight disciplines: track and field, archery, swimming, women's softball, taekwondo, weightlifting, shooting and table tennis.

Thirty-seven Taiwanese athletes will compete, 24 of whom are female.

The council said Beijing was likely to follow the Olympic convention of referring to the Taiwanese as "Chinese Taipei."

"Their attitude is that they do not want any unpleasant incidents to mar what is supposed to be a joyful event," said Wu Chun-che (吳俊哲), director of the council's international sports department.

The announcement was made at a conference at which the council briefed the media on its achievements last year and plans for this year.

Wu said the council was planning to host a second international marathon in either Kaohsiung or Tainan on an annual basis.

About 110,000 runners, many of whom were foreign nationals, took part in last year's ING Taipei International Marathon on Dec. 16, Wu said.

The second marathon could be held near Chengching Lake (澄清湖), Kaohsiung County, he said.

Tainan, the Taiwan's Qing Dynasty capital and home to numerous historical sites, would also be a good option, Wu said.

Minister Yang Chung-ho (楊忠和) said the council hoped to establish four national sports parks.

A 250-hectare facility in Taitung has been designed to attract athletes from overseas who needed to train in warm weather conditions, he said.
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