This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which typically draws top international athletes, has been canceled ahead of its June schedule, as funding for the Ministry of Sports has not yet cleared the legislature, the organizing body said yesterday.
All registration fees would be fully reimbursed, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said in a statement, apologizing for any inconvenience.
Funding for the athletics competition was allocated by the ministry as part of its wider budget for this fiscal year, which remains stalled in the Legislative Yuan, association secretary-general Wang Ching-cheng (王景成) said, explaining why the competition had been canceled.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Asked to comment on the cancellation of the Taiwan Athletics Open, Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) today said that his ministry would use its sports fund, which supports athlete development and international competitions, to provide continued assistance to the association.
The central government's general budget of NT$3.035 trillion (US$95.49 billion) for this fiscal year has been stuck in the opposition-controlled legislature since January, with only a small fraction approved for funding in areas such as public transportation, road infrastructure and maternity subsidies.
The Taiwan Athletics Open, an annual event inaugurated in 1973, typically provides a rare opportunity for local athletes to compete against international competitors on home turf.
This year's edition was scheduled for June 6 and 7 in New Taipei City.
In 2024, the meet was classified by World Athletics as a Continental Tour Bronze-level event, enabling athletes to earn world ranking points and attracting overseas competitors, including Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse, the men's 200m Tokyo Olympics gold medalist.
Having been upgraded to a Continental Tour Silver event, this year’s edition of the meet would have offered more ranking points.
As of press time, Wang had not responded to a request for further information.
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