Taipei, in its constant quest to demonstrate that it is an international city, is always on the lookout for sports competitions to host. Thus, when the city entered a team in the International Children's Games (ICG) held in August last year in Szmobatheley, Hungary and garnered a games-leading 14 gold medals, Taipei's Deputy Mayor Bai Hsiu-hsiung was anxious to bring the event to Asia, and managed to convince the games' executive committee to consider Taipei as the site of the 35th Summer ICG. Within two weeks, Taipei was formally authorized to host this year's event.
Over the past few days, children below the age of 15 from around the world have been arriving in Taipei to participate in the children's games, which begin today and will continue through Monday.
The ICG has very humble roots. It was started in 1968 as a regional sports competition in Celje, Slovenia. These Eastern European roots are betrayed by the fact that fully a third of the international teams participating in the Taipei children's games come from five Eastern European nations, including teams from no fewer than four Slovenian cities.
PHOTO: JACQUES VAN WERSCH, TAIPEI TIMES
The ICG remained a European affair until 1994, when the 23rd ICG were held in Hamilton, Canada, which has now hosted the event twice and is fielding a team in Taipei this year.
This year marks the first time the ICG have come to Asia. One might have expected the Asian turnout to be larger (besides participation by 19 Taipei cities, only a team per country made it to this event from Japan, Ulan Bator and Thailand -- a gung-ho Nepalese contingent also signed up, but their transportation arrangements fell through in the last minute) but according to Victor Wang, executive director of the Hope Foundation, which is co-sponsor of the 35th ICG along with the Taipei City Government, arranging for participants from numerous countries to come to Taipei has been a logistical and communications labyrinth. "A couple of months ago, we thought we might have teams from only 12 countries coming here instead of the 17 that have arrived."
Sponsorship by China Airlines, which agreed to offer athletes and coaches from European countries a 90 percent discount on airfares, apparently made the difference.
According to Wang, another limit on participation is the fact that Taiwan's successful bid to stage the event meant that there were two summer games this year (The first was held in Plock, Poland earlier this summer). Usually the summer ICG are held once a year, and host teams are designated up to five years in advance.
Nevertheless, VIPs attending the press conference to mark the opening of the games yesterday were elated to bring the games to Asia. The president of the ICG committee, Jozef Robert Sater, said he was "convinced that these international games will find firm ground here in Taipei."
This was the first trip to Asia for practically every one of the 300-odd non-Asian athletes. Most of the children approached by the Taipei Times were excited to be here and looking forward not only to excelling at their respective sports, but also to soaking up some of the culture here. For most of them, culture means dealing with a totally foreign language, a densely populated Asian city, and of course, traffic. Diana Keddy, a basketball player from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia summed it up best: "The traffic is, like, crazy."
Her teammate Jana Spindler, a 185cm center, admitted to feeling, "like a circus act sometimes," but emphasized that she was having a good time.
What were the children hoping to do in Taiwan other than do their country proud? "I am looking forward to seeing [Taroko Gorge]," said Nina Kokot of Velenje, Slovenia. Meanwhile, this being an adolescent event, it's quite understandable that when Lukasz Klopotowski of Plock, Poland was asked what he would like to see in Taipei, he responded, "pretty girls." -- jacques van wersch
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