Renovations of sports facilities in Taipei’s Shilin (士林) and Zhongshan (中山) districts are expected to be completed by 2026, as part of a municipal project to upgrade and expand the city’s community sports centers.
The Zhongshan Sports Center, which opened in 2003, was the first of its kind to be built in the nation. Seven years later, with the completion of the Wenshan District (文山) center in 2010, the city had achieved its aim of building a quality and affordable fitness center in all 12 districts.
More than 10 million people use the facilities each year, with average annual usage remaining high at 8 million during the pandemic.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Sports
As demand is high, lines are not uncommon, and it is often difficult to reserve facilities in advance, the Taipei Department of Sports said in a statement yesterday.
Popularity has also taken a toll on the facilities, which have over time become inadequate, it added.
The Taipei City Government is therefore implementing a “Sports Center 2.0” project to update and add to facilities across the capital.
The city is continuing to search for suitable sites, with the aim of creating smart and sustainable sporting facilities that cater to the particular needs of each district, it added.
Some renovations are under way in Shilin and Zhongshan, while plans have been drawn up for updating swimming pools in Beitou (北投), Nangang (南港) and Wanhua (萬華) districts, department Commissioner Wang Hung-shiang (王泓翔) said.
The swimming pool at Keqiang Park (克強公園) in Shilin is being remodeled to feature a children’s fitness center, and the tennis courts at Zhongshan’s Xinsheng Park (新生公園) are being remodeled for accessibility and to house the city’s first shooting range built to international standards, Wang said, adding that both are expected to be finished in 2026.
Upgrades to the swimming pools in Beitou’s Qihu Park (七虎公園), Nangang’s Yucheng Park (玉成公園) and Wanhua’s Youth Park (青年公園) are expected to be completed by 2030, he added.
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