Late yesterday, the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) formally apologized for an inflammatory article on its Web site accusing Taiwan’s Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) of cheating. The ATU’s Thai vice president and Iranian deputy -secretary-general offered the apology to the Taiwan team on behalf of the Seoul-based organization, said Chen Chien-ping (陳建平), president of the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association.
The ATU Web site was attacked by hackers on Friday after it carried a statement which condemned the Taiwan team for a “shocking act of deception,” even though an official inquiry was pending.
Protests in Taiwan have raged since medal hopeful Yang was controversially disqualified from the taekwondo competition over allegations that she wore two detachable, electronic sensors attached to the outside of each of her socks.
The fight went on after the sensors were removed. However, the bout was stopped and Yang was disqualified when she was leading 9-0 in the first round in the women’s under 49kg match against a Vietnamese opponent.
According to Games officials, fighters wear socks with sensors to help the electronic system score points when they hit other sensors on the opponent’s body gear. Extra sensors can boost scoring chances, the officials said.
Taiwan reacted with rage to the controversy.
“As the ATU, we have nothing to decide now,” said ATU president Lee Dai-soon, who added that his organization was still waiting for a formal report from the competition’s supervisory committee.
However, he said about the overall situation: “I’m really sorry that such an unhappy incident has happened.”
World Taekwondo Federation secretary-general Yang Jin-suk said a full inquiry would be held into the incident, although a final decision would only be made once the Games conclude on Nov. 27.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had