The Taipei Dome is a “wound” that must be cleaned out, even if it affects poll ratings, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
“You could choose to cover up a festering wound, take corticosteroids and pretend there’s no fever or inflammation, but that won’t solve the problem,” Ko said. “While cutting out rotting flesh looks frightening, if you clean and seal the wound, recovery is faster.”
In response to questions on a decline in approval ratings, Ko said that most of the decline could be attributed to controversy over the Dome project, which had served as a “mark against” his administration.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Uncertainty over the project’s future had led to anxiety and disgust on the part of city residents, he said.
The city government has been locked in conflict with Dome contractor the Farglory Group (遠雄集團) for the past six months over project safety and contract terms.
While Ko’s overall approval rating stands at 65 percent, only 45 percent of city residents approve of his handling of the Dome project, according to a recent NextTV poll.
Ko also rebutted concerns over the city’s decision to stage the opening ceremony of the 2017 Universiade at the Taipei Municipal Stadium rather than at the Taipei Dome.
“The vast majority of the sites used by major athletic competitions around the world are open-air,” he said, reaffirming that in the event of rain, the ceremonies would be moved to the neighboring Taipei Arena.
Earlier media reports had quoted Department of Sports Deputy Commissioner Ting Juo-ting (丁若亭) as saying that moving the ceremonies to the Taipei Arena would not be practical because of differences between the venues, ruling out things like fireworks if the ceremonies were moved.
Deputy Mayor Chou Li-fang (周麗芳) on Tuesday said that half of the Taipei Municipal Stadium’s seats are shielded from the rain and that its open space would allow more flexibility in planning the opening and closing ceremonies, even if there was some risk of rain.
Ko also brushed aside concerns that the site was too small, saying that its 20,000-seat capacity would be able to accommodate the ceremonies, even if there would be relatively fewer domestic spectators.
On whether the Taipei Municipal Stadium would be subjected to the same safety tests as the Dome, he said that while the city would use the same safety standards, the stadium is smaller and more open than the Dome.
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