Members of an evaluation committee in Taipei to inspect proposed competition venues for the 2017 Summer Universiade said this week that the multifunctional EasyCard was a big plus for the city’s bid to host the competition.
Hisato Igarashi, one of the officials from the International University Sports Federation (FISU), made the comment in a meeting with city officials after a tour of Taipei and neighboring cities.
The city promised to give each athlete and team staffer an EasyCard with a stored value of 70 euros (US$96, or NT$2,900) for transportation and shopping in places where the card is accepted.
The electronic card will be provided in addition to free access to transportation for all people with Universiade ID cards, the city government said in a presentation to the committee members on the first day of their visit.
Two “strong points” of Taipei’s bid were the EasyCard and the low daily cost, estimated at 10 euros per person, the committee chairman added.
Igarashi also said the city’s proposed budget plan was “healthy” and the general impression of the venues was “acceptable.”
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who is leading the city in a second attempt to win an Universiade host bid, reiterated the city’s determination and strengths to host a successful Universiade, a biennial event for university athletes from more than 130 countries.
After examining venues in Taoyuan and New Taipei City (新北市), which are within an hour’s drive from the city, Summer Universiade director Marc Vandenplas said Taipei definitely had the infrastructure and space needed for the games, despite the need for further renovation and construction work.
The Belgian official offered several suggestions on how to improve the existing venues and planned projects, but raised some concerns over warm-up facilities, the design of the planned athletes’ village and traffic control.
He said the city would still have time to complete the work if it won the bid over the Brazilian capital, Brasilia.
The evaluation group ended its four-day visit on Tuesday. They will fly to Brazil on a similar trip later this month.
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