Out of respect for the dietary requirements of Muslim athletes, referees and other sports officials, pork is not being served during the 2009 World Games Pre-event Series, the event organizer said yesterday.
The arrangements, including food, accommodation and transport, for the warm-up event all adhere to the standards set for next July’s World Games, said Hsu Cho-Chuan (??, chief executive of the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee, which is in charge of the pre-event series.
Beef, chicken and vegetarian options are being offered to around 500 participants from 37 countries who are eating in various district offices and schools that have been pressed into service as cafeterias for the event, Hsu said.
Hsu said that the athletes and referees have been accommodated in 250 rooms in nine hotels around the city.
They also receive lunch and dinner vouchers worth NT$250 each from the organizer, with breakfast provided by the hotels.
The warm-up competition, which kicked off on Tuesday, has athletes competing in four sports — water skiing, gymnastics, boules and korfball.
There are around 1,000 volunteers who are helping organizers with such logistics as translation and directions.
Next year’s World Games, which are set to run in Kaohsiung between July 16 and July 26, will feature 36 sports not featured in the Olympic Games, divided into six categories.
The categories include: artistic and dance sports, ball sports, martial arts, precision sports, strength sports and trend sports.
Hsu said that the government would not construct a World Games athletes village, but would instead provide athletes with accommodation and places to eat in locations close to the event venues for their convenience.
The event is expected to attract 4,500 athletes from an estimated 100 countries.
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