Sports chairman submits resignation after Asian Games

National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Chairman Chen Chuan-shou (陳全壽) said he would resign because the performance of Taiwanese athletes in the Asian Games in Doha did not meet his expectations.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who hosted a luncheon yesterday for the athletes who participated in the Asian Games, confirmed that Chen had submitted his resignation.

Chen promised during a weekly Cabinet meeting last month that he would resign if Taiwanese athletes didn't bring home at least 15 gold medals from the games.

Taiwanese athletes won nine gold medals, 10 silvers and 27 bronzes for a total of 46 medals.

Su said that he had not decided whether to approve Chen's resignation as he had not finished a review of the nation's Asian Games performance.

"However, I hope that Chen can shoulder the responsibility of leading the bid to be host for the 2011 World University Games," Su said.

Su refused to discuss whether he would try to persuade Chen to stay on, saying that it was not a proper time to discuss the matter.

Su said that the nation's coaches and athletes had done their best at the games and that their performance deserved praise and encouragement.

"It's true that there was large gap between expectations and achievements, but what we should do is to face the problems and improved them gradually," Su said.

Su said that while earning medals was an important goal, "the most important thing is to enhance sports for the public, to uncover talented athletes and to solve the insufficiency of sports facilities."

Chen said that he cared about competition results very much because he had participated as an athlete in the Asian Games and in the Olympics.