Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said that the city would soon submit a petition to the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) over its decision to revoke Taichung’s right to host the first East Asian Youth Games next year.
Expressing regret and dissatisfaction with the decision, Lin said that the city would submit the petition after consulting with the Sports Administration and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee.
The EAOC on Wednesday nullified its host city contract with Taichung, one day after the committee voted to cancel next year’s games at an extraordinary council meeting in Beijing.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
The meeting was called by the representative from China, which is unhappy about a proposed referendum in Taiwan that seeks to have the nation take part in international sporting events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, under the name “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei,” which has been used and authorized by the International Olympic Committee since 1981.
Taichung is to base its appeal of the EAOC’s decision on four arguments, Lin said.
First, the EAOC’s decision to cancel the Taichung games violates the spirit of the Olympic charter to promote sporting events in East Asia, he said.
Second, Taichung was not informed either before or after Tuesday’s meeting in Beijing, and the city has no knowledge of which EAOC regulations it has breached, he said.
Over the past three years, the city has complied with its contract with the committee and has followed its rules in preparation for the event, he said.
Third, as Taichung officials were not present at the Beijing meeting, they had no chance to explain or answer relevant questions, he said.
Fourth, Taichung received notification from the EAOC on Wednesday about the cancelation of the games, but the committee provided no concrete reasons, which contravenes Section 24 stipulated of their contract, he said.
“We are not fully respected as a signing party,” Lin said.
Taichung’s objection has gained support and encouragement from Taiwanese based on the belief that politics should not interfere with sports, Lin said.
“We will side with the athletes and defend their rights in line with the Olympic spirit,” he said, adding that Taichung would seek support from other EAOC members after submitting the petition.
The East Asian Youth Games, originally set to take place in Taichung in August next year, were expected to draw more than 2,000 athletes aged 14 to 18 from nine countries and territories.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS