The Kinmen County Government yesterday canceled the 13th Kinmen-Xiamen Open Relay, citing a lack of clear approval from the Sports Administration.
The county had to apply with the agency to hold the open water race, which was to rule on the matter after asking for a recommendation from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said on Thursday last week.
The MAC would not support the event because the China Coast Guard’s frequent incursions into Taiwan’s waters pose a danger to swimmers, Liang said.
Photo: Wu Cheng-Ting, Taipei Times
The competition was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday next week, a day ahead of the 2025 Open Water Race.
Liang said Kinmen could still hold the 2025 Open Water Race, as it would take place within Taiwanese waters.
Chinese nationals can compete after applying with the MAC, as they would for any sporting event, he said.
Only one Chinese group has received approval to swim in the open water race, a 26-member team from Chaozhou in Guangdong Province, the Kinmen County Government said.
The Kinmen Department of Education said it applied with the Sports Administration on May 28 and June 20 for special entry for 208 Chinese athletes, coaches and staff members to participate in the Kinmen-Xiamen Open Relay.
The agency did not approve or deny the application in a letter sent on Monday, making it impossible for Chinese participants to complete entry procedures and leaving the county unable to hold the event, the department said.
Kinmen Deputy County Commissioner Lee Wen-liang (李文良) called the cancelation unfortunate, as the event, which has been held annually for more than a decade, provides a great opportunity for athletes to connect and stimulates the local economy.
As the MAC’s lack of support for the event is likely due to national security concerns, the county hopes it could hold the event in the future under better circumstances, Lee said.
The event’s cancelation would not only harm the local economy, but could also affect the region’s development, he said.
The county hopes to maintain a good relationship with the central government, he said, adding that it hopes this year’s cancelation is a one-time occurrence.
Lee said the county still plans to invite Taiwanese athletes to Kinmen as planned and would continue to update them on the situation.
The Chinese side also expressed regret that the event would be canceled, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) fraud conviction and prison sentence were yesterday overturned by a Hong Kong court, in a surprise legal decision that comes soon after Lai was jailed for 20 years on a separate national security charge. Judges Jeremy Poon (潘兆初), Anthea Pang (彭寶琴) and Derek Pang (彭偉昌) said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, to proceed, as a lower court judge had “erred.” “The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences,” the judges
RSS