The Sports Administration at the Ministry of Education is “in the running” for the Nobel Peace Prize this year for its contribution to cross-strait ties, a source with knowledge of discussions held by the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
Officials at the agency refused to comment, but following an all-expenses-paid night out on Linsen S Road, an official at the agency, who wished to remain anonymous, shed more light on the possibility of the prestigious award heading to Taipei.
“It all started when Taiwan beat China to win the Asian Games women’s team tennis gold medal in September last year. It was a disaster for the government’s cross-strait policy, Beijing was very upset,” the official said. “So it was decided, in the interests of the government’s cross-strait policy, that the Sports Administration’s mandate would be to discourage children participating in sports. It is a policy that was not difficult to implement, we had been working toward that goal for many years.”
Asked about a report in February that myopia had increased by more than 10 percent among second-grade elementary school students last year due to a lack of outdoor activities, the official became more animated.
“That is a benefit of the new policy. Look, we do not want kids growing up with good eyesight, they could excel at things like archery or darts,” the official said. “Have you ever heard of a professional Chinese darts player? No. If Taiwan had a professional darts player it would be disastrous.”
The source in Norway confirmed that the Nobel Committee had been impressed by the administration’s efforts to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
“They’re definitely in the running,” the source said. “However, when it comes to sports in Taiwan, they might be in the running, but that usually means they will finish last.”
Hookers and alcohol courtesy of Johnny Foreigner
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
“I don’t remember the moment, but ever since I was a kid, that’s the first thing I loved,” two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas said of his lifelong romance with basketball. However, that journey unfolded against the limitations of his size in a game where height often dictates opportunity — a reality he confronted throughout his career. At 175cm, Thomas is less than 2cm taller than the average Taiwanese adult male, while NBA players during his career stood at about 200cm on average. Compared with the NBA’s average career length of less than five years, Thomas’ 13-season career stands out as
Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties, but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco. Now, the AFCON trophy is something of a thorn in the two countries’ sides. On Rue Mohamed V, the street where Moroccan vendors are based in the Senegalese capital, a police van is parked. “The police have been on high alert since the Confederation of African Football [CAF] decided to award the title to Morocco, but there have been no incidents,” a local resident said.
RSS