The Olympic flag of the Chinese Taipei team was raised, and the National Flag Song (
Taekwondo and archery are not very popular sports events compared to the national sport, baseball -- and players' future prospects are relatively slim. However, these victories show that if the Taiwanese people carefully select events that are suitable for our physique and are willing to work hard, the investment will eventually pay off. The poor performance of Taiwan's baseball team was a disappointment. But problems in the nation's baseball development due to a lack of systematic cultivation and training is more worrisome.
In fact, the success of our Taekwondo contestants and archers resulted from an accumulation of techniques, training and experience. This achievement is a consequence of the selfless devotion of our senior athletes and the blood and sweat of the newcomers.
Unfortunately, year by year the nation's sports budget has been gradually reduced. This is the result of people judging the caliber of an athlete only by his or her victory or defeat. As a consequence, many sports have shrunk in Taiwan. It's admirable that our archers also accomplished their goals, given that their training ground was nothing more than a parking lot used after-hours.
To encourage the public to participate in sports events and to cultivate outstanding sports talent, we need to use resources appropriately. This is not only a priority for people involved in sports, but is also crucial to the development of a diverse society.
Chen and Chu's hard work have brought the nation before the eyes of the world. How glorious this is! These two gold medals will allow the country to stand proud on the international stage, and have given the nation incomparable assistance in focusing its striving for glory. These two historic gold medals have come just at the right time, for Taiwan really needs a victory. It needs such victories to divert attention from a wearying confrontation, to salve the wounds and grievances of its heart and to rediscover itself.
The images of Chen and Chu winning their medals brought emotions of the Taiwanese masses -- sitting before their televisions late into the night -- to a fever pitch. The strains of the National Flag Song sounded so sweet, and the five-ringed Olympic flag looked beautiful.
This was a moment of enormous pride -- but that pride was mixed with regret. For the flag was not Taiwan's national flag, and the music was not Taiwan's national anthem. Such are the compromises that the country must make in order to participate in international sports. It is not the sort of treatment that a normal nation would expect. Taiwan has to work harder to fight for the same kind of treatment other countries get as part of the international community.
For this Olympics, Taiwan spared neither money nor effort to win international recognition. In the runup to the Olympics, it released advertisements with the slogan "Taiwan on the starting line," but these were removed by the Olympic Committee after pressure from China. Because of the excellent performance of its athletes, the nation was still able to shine at this international sports event -- proving the hard truth that "ability is everything." Taiwan has started the Olympic race, and it will only pick up the pace.
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
To our readers: Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2, the Taipei Times will have a reduced format without our regular editorials and opinion pieces. From Tuesday to Saturday the paper will not be delivered to subscribers, but will be available for purchase at convenience stores. Subscribers will receive the editions they missed once normal distribution resumes on Sunday, Feb. 2. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 3, when our regular editorials and opinion pieces will also be resumed.
This year would mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. From the vision of “Look East” in the 1990s, India’s policy has evolved into a resolute “Act East,” which complements Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy.” In these three decades, India and Taiwan have forged a rare partnership — one rooted in shared democratic values, a commitment to openness and pluralism, and clear complementarities in trade and technology. The government of India has rolled out the red carpet for Taiwanese investors with attractive financial incentives
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