Intermittent rain showers beforehand and a boycott by the Chinese team failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd last night as the Eighth World Games got off to a spectacular start at the main stadium in Kaohsiung City.
The Games mark the first time Taiwan has hosted a multi-nation, multi-sport event.
Dazzling lights filled the air above the stadium as the 40,000-strong crowd was wowed by a mesmerizing visual display featuring hundreds of colorfully dressed dancers and performances from a star-studded line-up of singers during the two-and-a-half-hour opening ceremony.
PHOTO: CNA
The evening’s proceedings got underway at 7:30pm with a symbolic handover taking place between children from Taiwan and the 2005 host, the German city of Duisburg, before a countdown led into the first of three main performances.
The first performance was themed around nature, featured dancing water droplets, giant eagle kites and dances from Tao and Amis Aborigines. The second section showcased Taiwanese culture, then brought raucous cheers from the audience as the eight generals ba jia zhang entered the stadium on scooters before breaking into a funky dance.
This was followed by a Pi-li puppet display, before the third and final section, entitled “Energetic Kaohsiung,” focused on aspects of modern life in the host city.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Then it was time for the athletes to enter the stadium in alphabetical order, led by the Austrian contingent. But in its absence, the Chinese team was represented by what appeared to be a games staffer holding the Chinese national flag.
The 72-member Chinese team stayed away from the ceremony after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced he would attend in his capacity as head of state.
According to local media reports, the Chinese delegation did not attend the opening ceremony to avoid giving the impression that Beijing authorities recognize Ma’s status as president or Taiwan’s status as a sovereign state. A spokesman for the games said Chinese athletes would compete in the events.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Asked about her views on the reports, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said that she would respect the Chinese delegation’s decision.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the 300-strong Taiwan team, who entered last.
Speaking shortly after the teams’ entrance, Chen, welcomed the athletes, before handing the floor to Ma to declare the games officially open.
Then it was time for the stadium to sway as vocal performances by British tenor Russell Watson, Kiwi songstress Hayley Westenra, local diva Tiger Huang (黃小琥) and Shin (信) whipped the crowd into a frenzy ahead of the grand finale, a spectacular six-minute firework display that rounded off the festivities.
The Games will run for 10 days through July 26, featuring more than 4,000 athletes taking part in 31 sports not included in the Olympic Games.
These include the likes of squash, rugby sevens and an assortment of martial arts, as well as more obscure events such as fistball, tchoukball, boules and korfball.
While the Olympics attract international interest because of its star athletes, the World Games events tend to have audiences with more specialized interests, but the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee is hoping that despite this, through cable sports channels such as ESPN, Kaohsiung will gain global visibility.
International sports events have proved to be a sure-fire method of promoting their host cities, and keen to use the opportunities to boost tourism in Kaohsiung, the city government has initiated a series of incentive packages involving local hotels, restaurants and cultural establishments to make the most of the festivities.
Prizes in a series of lotteries to be drawn at the end of the games include an apartment, a car and a variety of cash prizes.
In Taipei, commenting on the non-attendance of Chinese athletes at the opening ceremony, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that to the best of his knowledge, China’s decision was the result of a brainstorming session between the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and Chinese authorities.
“The two sides discussed the issue frankly and sincerely before reaching that decision,” Wu said, adding that he fully supported the arrangement.
“It’s a wise, goodwill decision that will contribute to harmony and the development of relations between our two sides,” he said.
KMT Legislator Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄), a former Olympic medalist, meanwhile, dismissed the need to be concerned about the political implications behind the delegation’s absence.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND CNA
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
RSS