Taiwanese athletes earned two gold and five bronze medals at the Paris Olympic Games, a result that brought honor to people across the country. These accomplishments are the result of eight years of effort by the government under the Democratic Progressive Party to develop the National Sports Training Center and allocate resources to sports science.
To build upon the foundation of these outstanding Olympic achievements, the government would fulfill a plan proposed last year by President William Lai (賴清德) to establish a ministry for sports development, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) recently announced.
This moment, right after the conclusion of the Olympic Games, when Taiwanese all over are showing great respect for sports, is the perfect time to make this announcement.
Based on the blueprint of Lai’s policy, it is clear that he hopes to commercialize, academicize and invigorate sports in Taiwan.
In the past, sports associations had been denounced for being controlled by small, tight-knit circles. To get government subsidies to organize domestic competitions, they used their connections and privileges to suppress and exclude “noncore” athletes.
That type of closed environment where a bunch of big shots with no real achievements of their own speak the loudest is detrimental to the introduction of new training techniques, equipment and facilities.
It is similarly harmful to Taiwan’s chances of winning international competitions.
However, the simple structure of government aid, training and athletes is not enough to produce the innovation and development of a vigorous sports environment.
Taiwan also needs spectators, sports enthusiasts, equipment manufacturers, research institutions, corporate sponsors, stadiums, broadcasters, clubs and more. Only then can the commerce side of sports truly grow, limiting the proliferation of detrimental tight-knit circles and allowing Taiwanese athletics to progress.
At the same time, the gold standard for national athletic prowess does not merely lie in Olympic medals. Just as Lai said, what is more important is finding a way for athletes to transition to a new phase of their lives after the peak of their career.
How can their valuable experience be turned into inheritable capital? These are important issues to consider in the field of sports.
If a comprehensive division can be developed under the Executive Yuan, these concerns must be considered, and with discussion often comes questions. So why not leave them to the Sports Administration under the Ministry of Education?
With the Ministry of Education acting as the guiding body, schools would serve as the core focus of sports policy and their implementation. Several local governments have already established sports departments.
Now that the central government is to establish its own independent ministry for sports development, the planning and management of athletic facilities and competitions, along with the promotion of amateur sports, would create a ripple effect starting from the center and branching out to the rest of the country.
Sports can enhance a nation’s moral character, promote public health and develop societal virtues. We look forward to the establishment of the ministry for sports development, as it would allow Taiwan to cultivate a better society.
Chen Bang-an is deputy executive director of the Democratic Progressive Party’s Taichung branch.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS