The military yesterday dispatched four fighter jets to welcome a group of Olympians back to Taiwan to thank the nation’s athletes competing in this year’s record-breaking Tokyo Games.
Taiwan this year has posted its best-ever Olympic result with 11 total medals thus far — two golds, four silvers and five bronzes — more than doubling its previous record of five medals in 2000 and 2004.
To celebrate the achievement, the Ministry of National Defense said it was instructed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to dispatch four Mirage 2000 jets to escort the athletes flying home on a China Airlines charter flight.
Photo: Military News Agency via CNA
On the new Airbus A350 plane were gold medal winners Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), who on Saturday bested China in the men’s doubles badminton final, and Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎), who on Sunday took silver in the women’s badminton singles.
Also on the flight were fellow badminton players world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen (周天成) and world No. 11 Wang Tzu-wei (王子維), as well as coaches and support staff.
The four Mirage jets took off from Hsinchu Air Base to meet the athletes’ flight in the air before it touched down at 5:11pm.
Photo: CNA
The jets also set off a series of flares on either side of the plane for the athletes to enjoy, which were captured by Wang Chi-lin, Wang Tzu-wei and Tai in their Instagram stories.
“It is our great honor to welcome back these national heroes,” the ministry said, adding that the gesture was intended to thank all the athletes representing Taiwan at the Games, as well as show government and public support for sports.
The ministry made a similar gesture in 2018, when F-16 jets were dispatched to escort and set off flares for Taiwan’s athletes returning from the Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.
It also follows a wish voiced by the president as early as 2019 to welcome the nation’s athletes back from the Tokyo Olympics with an F-16 escort.
Representatives from the Sports Administration and Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, as well as China Airlines and EVA Airways staff, also lined up to welcome the badminton team at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with banners and cheers.
Additional reporting by Chen Hsin-yu and CNA
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS