First Lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) will head the nation's delegation to attend the 2004 Paralympic Games in the Greek Capital of Athens mid next month, the Presidential Office announced yesterday.
Noting that the trip ran into "some difficulties arising from China's attempts to hinder Wu's journey," during its planning, Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳) yesterday warned China of making further attempts to interfere.
PHOTO: CNA
"This will be an event where our wheelchair-bound First Lady leads our physically-challenged players to attend the international Paralympic Games," Huang said.
"While China's incessant oppression of Taiwan is nothing new, should China attempt to further hinder Wu's trip, I think it would be an act that would anger both mankind and the gods," Huang said.
The Paralympic Games are the Olympic for athletes with disabilities. The Paralympic Games are usually held in the same year and at the same venue as the regular Olympic Games.
In her capacity as the head of Chinese Taipei's paralympic delegation, Wu will lead the 25 athletes to Athens five days ahead of the Paralympic Games, which will be held from Sept. 17 to Sept. 28.
"The delegation headed by the First Lady will leave on Sept. 12 for Athens," Huang said at a news press conference yesterday held to detail Wu's trip to Greece. Taiwan's delegation will travel directly to Athens on a chartered flight, Huang added.
Aside from attending the Games' opening ceremony on Sept. 17, Huang said the first lady will also visit the athlete's villages and will attempt to attend every competition Taiwanese athletes compete in "to do all she can to support our players."
"Given the First Lady's physical disability, [the trip] will be a challenge for her, tantamount to taking part in the games herself," Huang added.
Wu, paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a truck in an assassination attempt, has been in a wheelchair since 1985.
Wu will stay in a hotel which the event organizer has arranged for all heads of participating delegations and will return to Taipei on Sept. 20.
When Wu met with the Taiwan delegation for the 2003 World Wheelchair Games last October, many of the athletes expressed the hope that she could head this delegation to this year's Paralympics, Huang said. Wu agreed immediately, her physical status qualified her for the position.
Huang further stated that Wu last November had received an invitation from Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, to attend this year's event as an honorary guest.
"After receiving the invitation, the Presidential Office, along with the Chinese Taipei Sports Federation for the Disabled, has since been working on having Wu head the delegation [for the 2004 Paralympic Games]" Huang said.
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