President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday he had ordered the Sports Affairs Council (SAC) to study the feasibility of increasing the prize money awarded to medal-winning hearing-impaired athletes.
In the past, a gold medal winner in the Deaflympics received NT$750,000 (US$23,000). This year, however, the SAC raised the amount to NT$1.8 million, but Ma said he has asked the council to study how to raise the prize money to encourage hearing-impaired athletes to hone their skills.
“I also hope that all physically and mentally disabled people will get out of their homes to enjoy sunshine and exercise,” Ma said.
PHOTO: CNA
Ma made the remarks while meeting local athletes who won medals in the 21st Summer Deaflympics and their coaches.
Two sign language interpreters helped with communication between the president and the athletes, and Ma used sign language to spell out the total number of medals Taiwanese athletes won in the games — 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze.
Ma congratulated Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) for his city’s successful hosting of the quadrennial sports extravaganza.
International Committee of Sports for the Deaf president Donalda Ammons, who spoke at the closing ceremony the previous day, said she was impressed by the event in many ways, including its venues, organization and efficiency, the setup of programs and the exceptional number of volunteers who were always smiling and ready to help.
“As president of the Republic of China and a former mayor of Taipei, I feel very proud of the achievements of the Taipei Deaflympics,” Ma said.
He also expressed gratitude to the volunteers and staff members of the Sports Affairs Council and the Taipei City Government for their hard work and dedication during the 11-day event.
“The breathtaking spectacle at the opening ceremony and the culinary climax at the closing ceremony were very creative and full of ingenuity,” Ma said.
Ma also expressed his admiration for Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君), a taekwondo athlete who secured Taiwan’s first gold at the Deaflympics on Sept. 6, for her perseverance in the pursuit of excellence despite her disability.
Ma said the SAC had appropriated funds in its budget for next year to establish 10 community public exercise stadiums that will offer advanced sports facilities for low user fees, including indoor warm-water swimming pools, aerobic dance centers, rock climbing equipment and archery ranges.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS