The Greater Kaohsiung Government yesterday said it would spend one month evaluating the possibility of hosting the 2019 Asian Games after Vietnam withdrew from hosting the sports event last week.
Democratic Progressive Party Greater Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Sin-yu (陳信瑜) suggested that the city seek cooperative efforts from Greater Tainan and Pingtung County to show that southern Taiwan is capable of hosting such an international sports competition.
Chen said Kaohsiung indicated in 2010 that it was interested in hosting the Asian Games in 2019, but it lost the bid to Taipei.
However, Taipei gave up its quest to host the Asian Games in 2019 and decided to bid for the 2017 Summer Universiade instead.
“Kaohsiung missed the chance to bid for the Asian Games twice before,” she said.
“The city should do everything it can this time to host the Games, which will demonstrate to the world that the city is able to raise its publicity around the world and host an international sports event,” Chen added.
Chen said the city had hosted the 2009 World Games, for which it built a state-of-the-art stadium and recruited thousands of passionate volunteers.
These are advantages that the city has over other potential hosts, she said.
Greater Kaohsiung Department of Sports Director Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said the department would start evaluating the possibility of hosting the Games after briefing Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊).
Vietnam backed out as the host of the Asian Games on Friday last week, saying that the poor preparation could damage the country’s reputation and the cost of hosting the sports event could far exceed its proposed budget.
Aside from Greater Kaohsiung, both Malaysia and Indonesia have indicated their intentions to replace Vietnam as the host country for the Games.
Malaysia said it would consider hosting the Games if the Olympic Council of Asia helps pay for the cost.
Indonesia was seen as a strong candidate to replace Vietnam, as the two were competing in the bid in 2012 to host the Asian Games. Vietnam’s Hanoi City trumped Surabaya in Indonesia and secured the right to host the Games.
However, Indonesia Olympic Committee chairwoman Rita Subowo said Surabaya would only be ready to host the Asian Youth Games in 2021, not the Asian Games in 2019.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be
RSS