The Sports Affairs Council (SAC) yesterday criticized the Greater Kaohsiung Government for its proposed plan to remove the track and field facilities from the National Stadium and turn it into a baseball stadium, adding that the city government has acted contrary to the takeover plan it submitted to the council.
The council issued the statement after media reported that Greater Kaohsiung planned to outsource the management of the National Stadium to private contractors. One of the contractors proposed to remove the track and field facilities, lay down grass and turn the stadium into a baseball stadium. In its statement, the council used the word “unbelievable” to describe what it said was an outrageous decision. The stadium was built specifically for the 2009 World Games in Greater Kaohsiung.
The council said the central government spent NT$6.5 billion (US$221.6 million) of taxpayers’ money to build the stadium, which is equipped with a standard track and field certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is also equipped with a soccer pitch that complies with the specifications set by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
“The city government is evaluating the possibility [of turning the stadium into a baseball stadium], and we strongly oppose the proposal,” the statement said. “The plan would also be contrary to the plan the city submitted when it took over the operation of the stadium.”
The council said it had ensured the National Stadium could maintain operations before the city government took over last year. It had hoped that the Greater Kaohsiung Government would use the stadium mainly for track and field competitions and soccer games. As such, the council had promised to subsidize the operation of the National Stadium for the three years after the city government took over, to the tune of NT$40 million a year.
Prior to the takeover, the city government had been urging the council to quickly turn the operation of the National Stadium over to it. Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) even accused the SAC of deliberately delaying the transfer of management of the national sports facility. However, except for concerts by Taiwanese music band Mayday (五月天), the city government has done practically nothing with the stadium in the past year.
Sports associations in Greater Kaohsiung objected to the proposal as well. Some said Taiwan would be an international laughingstock if it destroyed an international-standard track and field facility less than four years after the high-profile World Games.
Others said the proposal was simply unacceptable, given that the city is due to host the National Athletic Games in 2015.
In response, the city government said it cost about NT$80 million a year to maintain the National Stadium, adding that it would carefully evaluate every proposal.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS