An exhibition featuring sports-related stamps, including more than 1,000 commissioned for the Olympic Games, opened in Taipei’s Zhongshan Hall yesterday.
The show, which runs until Sept. 17, is part of the city government’s efforts to promote this year’s Summer Universiade, which is scheduled to take place in Taipei from Aug. 19 to Aug. 30.
“A stamp is a nation’s business card,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said at the opening. “The art and culture contained in a tiny stamp can demonstrate a nation’s soft power.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The exhibition is divided into five sections: international games, sports, game halls, star athletes and mascots.
The earliest stamps date to 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Greece.
The stamps illustrate the development of international games over the past century, the hall’s management office director Huang Kuo-ching (黃國琴) said, adding that many Taiwanese athletes are featured in the collection, including stamps and pamphlets for the Hongye Elementary School little-league team (紅葉少棒), a legendary baseball team during the 1960s.
Also featured are Taiwanese-Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh (王貞治), 1968 Olympic bronze medalist in the 80m hurdles Chi Cheng (紀政), 2004 Olympic taekwondo gold medalists Chu Mu-yen (朱木炎) and Chen Shih-hsin (陳詩欣), and Hsu Shu-ching (許淑淨), Olympic gold-medalist weightlifter in 2012 and last year.
All of the stamps were borrowed from the collection of Taiwanese history researcher Chuang Yung-ming (莊永明), Huang said.
Chuang, 76, said he began collecting stamps in elementary school and urged the nation to do more to promote stamps that feature athletes.
In related news, Ko yesterday said that he has communicated with the Universiade’s governing body regarding President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) attendance, saying that the principles of “equality and dignity have to be upheld” when sponsoring the Universiade.
Local media reports had quoted Ko as saying in an interview on Wednesday that a Chinese official had asked him to invite Tsai on stage as a “leader.”
Ko said his answer to the official was a “flat no,” and that the term “president” should be used.
Ko said he expressed his position in April when a representative from Shanghai visited Taiwan.
Asked if he would insist on using the title “president” for Tsai, Ko said: “We have explained this to the International University Sports Federation.”
Beijing in May said that China would not participate in team events at the Universiade, but that its athletes would take part in individual competitions.
Additional reporting by CNA
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