Feature: Taipei's municipal sports centers energize residents

"I heard many complaints about people having nowhere to exercise. Now that we have made exercise facilities accessible and affordable there won't be any excuse."

Ma Ying-jeou, former Taipei mayor

The most convenient place for pupils at Taipei Municipal Xinhe Elementary School to exercise used to be the school gym, which is small and cramped.

But since the Taipei City Government opened the Zhongzheng Civil Sports Center last October, it has become parent-teacher association director Ku Yuan-chung's (古元中) favorite place to take pupils for exercise after school and during vacations.

"It's more spacious and comfortable here. Besides, spending time in the center exercising is so much better for the children than watching TV or playing video games at home," Ku said after playing badminton with his wife and several pupils at the center.

Located Xinyi Road across from the CKS Memorial, Zhongzheng Sports Center is one of 12 municipal sports centers the city government is establishing at a cost of about NT$7 billion (US$210 million) to promote sports and public health.

Three sports centers were opened last year in Taipei's Zhongshan, Beitou and Nangang districts and the opening of Shilin Sports Center is planned for later this year. The remaining seven centers will be opened next year, said Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), director of the New Construction Department at the Taipei Bureau of Public Works.

In addition to basic facilities such as a swimming pool, a basketball court and a weight room, Lee said each sports center has a distinguishing feature. Beitou Sports Center on Shipai Road, for example, has a rock climbing room, while Nangang Sports Center is equipped with a scuba diving facility that offers diving instruction at NT$250 per lesson.

Tsai Yu-feng (蔡郁芬), curriculum coordinator of Nangang Civil Sports Center on Yucheng Street, said the scuba diving facility can hold 10 divers. After completing a course of 40 classes, divers will receive a certificate.

While qualified divers have expressed the desire to practice their skills in the facility, Tsai said the center is so far only available for lessons.

Zhongzheng Sports Center, which boasts the best facilities of all the centers, is described as a "six-star" center and was built at a cost of more than NT$500 million. It has attracted an average of 4,000 people each day thanks to its great location and brand new facilities.

Lee Hsin-yuan (李欣芫), marketing manager of the yet-to-be opened Wanhua Civil Sports Center, said his facility would be the first "green," energy-conserving sports center in Taipei.

Lee the center's design incorporated heat-conducting materials and solar panels that will allow it to meet 30 percent of its own power needs at a saving of NT$2 million.

It was former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) who decided to establish municipal sports centers to transform Taipei into a "healthy city." Ma devoted much effort to promoting physical exercise and also oversaw the construction of the Taipei Arena, 80 swimming pools and the extension of biking and hiking trails in and around the city.

"I heard many complaints about people having nowhere to exercise. Now that we have made exercise facilities accessible and affordable there won't be any excuse for our residents to be lazy," Ma said during a ground-breaking ceremony for the Xinyi Sports Center, which will open next year.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chou Wei-yu (周威佑) and former DPP councilor Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰), however, criticized Ma's administration for falling into a "sports center myth."

"It's naive of the city government to think that residents will come to love sports and become healthier simply because more sports centers have opened," Lan said.

Although the city government spent tens of millions of dollars in public funds on sports centers, it authorized private companies or civic organizations to manage them, thus failing to guarantee low fares, Chou said.

However, the Taipei Sports Office under the Taipei City Department of Education said it had set a price limit to ensure the centers charged reasonable fees. Senior citizens (aged 65 and above) are able to use all facilities free of charge in the mornings, they added.

For his part, Ku said the NT$300 per hour fee for the use of a badminton court was reasonable.

Graduate Chen Hong-chi (陳宏麒), however, said the NT$110 fee for the use of a swimming pool was too much and suggested the city government revise its pricing policy.

"The municipal sports centers were established to encourage more residents to exercise, but the overly expensive fees will only scare people away," Chen said.

Chou the city government should invest more of its budget on practical measures such as providing free physical checkups.

For more information on the municipal sports centers, visit the Taipei Sports Office's Web site at: http://tpg.tms.gov.tw/en_index.php.