To mark the start of their first season in the T1 League, the New Taipei CTBC DEA (新北中信特攻), a professional basketball team in New Taipei City, held a news conference where the club’s local players were introduced.
Saturday’s event was attended by New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), New Taipei City Council Speaker Chiang Ken-huang (蔣根煌), CTBC Anti-Drug Educational Foundation (中國信託反毒教育基金會) chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒), foundation vice chairman Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and CTBC Sports Entertainment Co (中國信託育樂) chairman Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩).
Wearing “courage yellow” jerseys sponsored by New Taipei City, the club’s local players made their first public appearance and unveiled the CTBC DEA’s “No Fear” slogan.
Photo courtesy of CTBC Bank Co
The players have demonstrated teamwork and a fearless spirit in their commitment to claim the championship title in their first T1 League season.
ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE
The team’s English-language name, DEA, stands for: Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Making ‘DEA’ the team’s name is a declaration that ‘anti-drug’ is at the core of what the team is,” Koo said.
The US DEA Educational Foundation supports and stands behind CTBC’s determination to promote anti-drug activities in Taiwan, he added.
Chen said he hopes that the CTBC DEA players will set a positive example and become role models for young people.
New Taipei City has always been an important hub for basketball in Taiwan, with talented school teams at all levels.
CTBC DEA super rookie Hsieh Ya-hsuan (謝亞軒) said that his high school, Neng Ren Home Economic and Commercial Vocational High School in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店), is one of the few teams that compete in the High School Basketball League every year.
“I am very happy to represent New Taipei City again. I will uphold young people’s spirit of embracing challenges and make the citizens of New Taipei City proud of my performance,” Hsieh said.
New Taipei City is the largest city in Taiwan, Hou said, adding that he would like the launch of the CTBC DEA to lead the city to big achievements and greater ambitions, as well as an international brand.
The New Taipei City Government promotes the city as a place where “everyone loves to exercise, and people can exercise any time, anywhere,” so it hopes that a young, budding team like the CTBC DEA will inject the city with more energy and instill in it a greater passion for exercise.
CTBC stands behind basketball 100 percent, and encourages young people to participate in legal leisure and entertainment activities, said CTBC Bank Co (中國信託商業銀行) retail banking chief executive Amy Yang (楊淑惠), who also serves as head of the CTBC DEA.
Yang said that she would like to see more fans at the basketball stadium, giving the CTBC DEA the most support possible.
The team jerseys for home and away games during the 2021-2022 season were unveiled at the news conference.
The CTBC DEA’s home jersey is a “courage yellow,” representing a warm, yellow sun that will “give the players endless energy to overcome the challenges faced on the court.”
Their away jersey is a “unity blue,” representing the players’ selfless spirit of friendship and their emphasis on teamwork.
The club’s players are expected to focus more on team performance than on personal goals, and to fully exhibit the DEA’s unlimited firepower, it said.
Starting yesterday, tickets for the CTBC DEA’s home games could be purchased online via www.famiticket.com.tw or at FamilyMart FamiPort kiosks.
More information can be found on the team’s Facebook fan page and its Instagram account: @newtaipei_ctbc_dea.
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