The nation participated as “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei” for the first time at this year’s World Police and Fire Games that began in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday.
The Taiwanese team of firefighters and police officers have been participating at the Games since 1985. The Games are held every two years.
For the first time, the Taiwanese team participated under the name “Taiwan” and carried a sign saying “Taiwan” and the national flag during the opening ceremony.
The team entered with traditional dancing dragons and lions and were accompanied by traditional Taiwanese musicians with gongs and drums, while overseas Taiwanese in the crowd watching the parade cheered.
The National Police Agency said in the past, the country could only participate at the Games using the same name as in the Olympic Games, “Chinese Taipei.” However, this year, the agency coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the representative office in Vancouver and the Games organizers to allow the country’s firefighters and police officers to compete under the name “Taiwan.”
The team is composed of 49 firefighters and police officers from around the country, led by Hsieh Fen-fen (謝芬芬), a section chief at the agency.
This year, more than 10,000 police officers, firefighters, customs and correction officers from more than 60 countries are competing in sports that include hockey, archery, basketball, wrestling, sailing, golf and karate.
The Games were established in 1985 by the non-profit World Police and Fire Games Federation.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS