A legislator yesterday called for more support for female athletes and five female sumo wrestlers who are to compete in an international tournament in Japan ahead of International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on Sunday.
Government agencies must provide more resources and assistance to female athletes to promote gender equality and a more inclusive sports environment, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
In addition to Huang, who is chairwoman of the Taiwan Parliamentary Women’s Sports Diplomacy Committee, Chinese Taipei Sumo Federation officials also attended the event to promote Taiwan’s participation in the international competition in Japan that starts on April 16.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The female sumo wrestlers, led by team captain Wang Ssu-hua (王思樺), are to represent Taiwan at the International Women’s Sumo Invitational Championship in Sakai in Osaka Prefecture, the officials said.
Wang said the wrestlers have been preparing for more than two months, by training, planning strategies for different weight classes and analyzing video of competitors.
The competition is also an opportunity for “sports diplomacy,” she said, adding that they hope to make Taiwan proud.
In a news release, the Taiwanese federation said it has pushed for more progress in the sport.
“Sumo wrestling is traditionally a sport for men in Japan. While Japan in 1966 started to promote women’s participation in the sport and held a world championship event in 1999 ... sumo wrestling for women needs further development,” they said, adding that it lacks resources and funding.
With the help of coaches and female athletes competing with enthusiasm, Taiwanese sumo wrestlers have been performing well at international competitions in the past few years, it said.
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