The World Masters Games, jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, is to run from May 17 through May 30.
In the spirit of lifelong sports and sports for all, the event is being held in Asia for the first time, with up to 35 sports categories, nine of which include events for para-athletes.
Anybody aged 30 or older can register without a prior try-out and can compete individually or with teammates of any national background.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism
It is a golden opportunity to step onto the global stage and compete with sports elites from all over the world.
Perks and discounts in accommodations, transportation, tourism and cultural activities are to be arranged for athletes so they could relish local scenery, cultures and culinary delights while pursuing their dream in the sports arena.
The event organizers are dedicated to providing convenient transportation services for guests and participants from around the world. They are planning to have 24 free shuttle bus routes and offer taxi discount codes.
During the World Masters Games, athletes can enjoy a 20 percent discount, which would be capped at NT$100, on Uber’s taxi fares for a single trip by entering the codes.
Foreign contestants can earn an extra English discount code by turning on their Uber app while at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Additionally, they can also receive a discount code for flight tickets, which offers a discount of up to 10 percent on flight tickets purchased from the official Web site of EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) or China Airlines Ltd (中華航空).
An electronic fare card featuring the event’s mascot, Strong (壯寶), would also be available.
As for accommodations, the event’s Web site says that it would be collaborating with Lion Travel and Agoda, so hotel reservations made through those platforms could get a discount of up to 20 percent on accommodation fees.
There would also be an add-on discount of 15 percent on high-speed rail tickets.
Athletes can take part in the welcome and farewell ceremonies, welcome parties and the World Masters Games Expo free of charge.
With the 30 self-guided tour itineraries, 30 on-sale group tour itineraries and a series of cultural events recommended by the event organizers, they can also revel in firsthand experiences of Taiwanese dishes, cultures and natural landscape.
Like Taiwanese, foreigners in Taiwan who sign up using their alien resident certificate can enjoy a discounted registration fee of NT$3,600 and would be able to participate in up to seven events within three sports categories.
Participants would be given a gift package that consists of a backpack, a sports towel, a sports bottle, eco-friendly foodware, a digital wearable device and a commemorative T-shirt.
They would also have a seat at the welcome ceremony to be held at Taipei Dome and the farewell ceremony at New Taipei City Art Museum.
People can sign up for the World Masters Games via an online application. About 30,000 athletes from 137 countries have signed up for the event. The deadline for applications is on Feb. 17.
Stop hesitating and take action. Sign up for the event with friends and seize the opportunity to shine on the international stage as a sports contestant now.
For more information, check the official Web site of the World Masters Games 2025 (https://wmg2025.tw).
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his