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Nation's new sports minister steps up to the Olympics plate

The nation's new sports minister vowed yesterday to promote professional sports and to bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday named Yang Jong-her (楊忠和) director-general of the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, replacing Chen Chuan-shou (陳全壽), who resigned after the national team did not deliver on his promise of 15 gold medals at the Asian Games.

Taiwan sent its largest-ever delegation -- 532 people, including 391 athletes -- to the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, last month, but its athletes won only nine gold, 10 silver and 27 bronze medals, down from 19 golds at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, and 10 golds at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

In an interview with reporters, Yang vowed to promote sports at the grassroots level, promote professional sports and to launch a bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

"I have just visited Beijing and seen the improvements it has made as part of its preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. I am in favor of Taiwan's bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games," he said.

"We haven't decided which of our three biggest cities will bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. It is up to them to compete on a fair basis. But whichever city will make the bid, I give my full support," he said.

Yong, principal of the Taipei Physical Education College, said bidding to host the Olympic Games can boost the city's development.

"The return is 20 times more than the investment," he said.

But some sports officials have expressed concern that China might sabotage Taiwan's effort for political reasons.

So far, only Berlin has expressed the wish to bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The mayor of Prague suggested last year that the Czech capital should hold a referendum this year to decide if Prague should bid to host the Games.
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