The World Games may have come to an end, but many of the 4,000 or so athletes who visited Kaohsiung to take part in the competitions said they would take away fond memories of the 11-day event.
What stood out in particular for many of the competitors was the friendliness of the locals and their willingness to help.
Andrew St Ledger, a member of the UK Tchoukball team said: “We’ve been treated amazingly by everyone. You have one small problem, you ask someone and within minutes 10 people are there to help you and are so kind and so generous.”
This was not a surprise to men’s nine-ball pool champion Ralf Souquet from Germany, who is well known in Taiwan and has visited on several occasions.
Souquet said in the past he had mostly visited Taipei, but he has also been to Kaohsiung for the World 9-ball championships four years ago and again for a promotional tour about a month ago, although he didn’t have time for sightseeing.
“But this time I’ve been to different locations to watch other sports and I’m quite surprised and quite impressed with what I’ve seen,” he said.
St Ledger was equally impressed.
“You can tell people here are really proud to be hosting the World Games and doing well at it. It’s not just our event, it’s everything I’ve seen so far — the athletes’ night, the catering, the hotels, everything. Stunning,” he said.
Bibas Vidal, coach of the Israeli jujitsu squad, brought three athletes to the World Games purely for the experience. He said the competition went well and was a good opportunity for his team. They didn’t expect to win but came to see the big shots fight and learn how a tournament like this worked.
“If Taiwan can do it, then Israel can do it, too,” he said. “Everyone smiles, wants to help us every place we go. The Taiwanese put on great hospitality and it was very warming to our hearts. I hope I will visit again.”
British 640kg tug-of-war team member Fred Worle agreed.
“The hospitality has been fantastic. Taiwan’s a great country. However, the weather could be a little bit more favorable to us Europeans,” he said.
Teammate Robert Johnson, a member of the UK’s bronze-medal-winning 680kg tug-of-war team, was also happy.
“Very impressed with how we’ve been treated out here. Very nice, friendly people. We’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “I think we’ve [been] looked after here better than anywhere I’ve been in the world before, and I’ve been doing this a long time.”
Asked whether there had been any problems, Johnson had only one complaint: “We struggled to find a bar for a drink when we’d finished.”
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS