The Presidential Office yesterday reiterated its support for Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, but denied a Taiwan sports official currently traveling in China was a "sports envoy."
Wu Ching-kuo (
Wu is in Beijing to discuss cooperation in sports, including China and Taiwan co-hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. He will meet today with Yuan Weimin (
Chen Che-nan (
"Wu Ching-kuo is not a sports envoy. His words are not endorsed by the government," Chen said.
Wu flew to Guilin last Wednesday and has already met with several Chinese sports officials.
Wu said yesterday he was very grateful that China has suggested Beijing and Taipei jointly hold the 2008 Olympic games.
Wu said President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen raised the possibility of co-hosting the Olympics during the press conference on June 20, marking his first month in office.
"After exchanging views with them, I feel the two sides jointly holding the Olympic games is possible and can be discussed, but in stages," Wu said yesterday.
On Saturday, a Chinese sports official said that Taiwan must recognize it is part of China if it is interested in co-staging the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Earlier, Wu said he told Yuan Weimin in April he would lobby for Beijing to host the games.
Wu also said he had voted in support of China when it was vying for the 2000 games seven years ago, despite pressure from former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to vote against it.
Chen Che-nan yesterday called the hype on co-hosting premature.
Chen said the possibility of co-hosting hinged on two premises: Beijing must win the bid and the IOC must modify Rule 38 of its Olympic Charter, which stipulates that, "All sports must take place in the host city of the Olympic Games, unless it obtains from the IOC the right to organize certain events in other cities or in sites situated in the same country."
Apart from Beijing, nine other cities are vying for the 2008 Games: Bangkok, Cairo, Havana, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Paris, Seville and Toronto.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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