The nation’s soccer community voiced its opposition yesterday to a plan by the Taipei City Government to convert the country’s only dedicated soccer stadium into a permanent exhibition hall after the conclusion of the Taipei International Flora Exposition.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) and representatives of local soccer groups said the city government should keep its promise to restore the stadium to its original use after the Flora Expo, to be held from Nov. 6 to April 25.
They said Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) promised two years ago that the stadium would be closed only “temporarily” to serve as a venue for an indoor floral design competitions and special exhibits during the Flora Expo.
PHOTO: CNA
However, the city government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs now plan to permanently convert the stadium and the surrounding area into a display center for top quality products from Taiwan, Wu said.
“It is really sad for soccer fans that the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium will no longer function as a sports facility because of the Flora Expo,” said Chang Yao-ming (張耀明), a former soccer player who now coaches a soccer team for the Shilin Sports Federation.
Kuo Cheng-deng (郭正典), founder of the Taipei Veterans General Hospital Football Association, also stressed that Zhongshan Soccer Stadium is the only stadium in the country designed specifically for soccer and approved by FIFA for international matches.
“If it is demolished, soccer matches will have to be held at non-soccer stadiums, such as the Kaohsiung Stadium or Taipei Stadium,” Kuo said at a press conference hosted by Wu. “Soccer will therefore have to share limited space with other sports.”
The city government said that it has planned supplementary measures to deal with the issue.
Wang San-chung (王三中), chief secretary of the city government’s Department of Economic Development, said that more soccer fields will be built for the city’s schools with soccer teams.
He also suggested that Yin Feng Sports Park, Bailing Sports Park and Taipei Stadium could all be used for soccer matches.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or