The Taipei City Government said yesterday it had not invited tennis player Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) to promote the 2017 Summer Universiade, but rebuffed accusations that it was neglecting local athletes after it was accused of offering her too little money for promotional efforts.
Sponsorships and endorsements for Hsieh have drawn attention after she and her Chinese partner won the Wimbledon women’s doubles tennis championship on Saturday, and the city’s promotion of the 2017 event sparked disputes on Monday as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) and Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如), a Web manager for former DPP premier Frank Hsieh’s (謝長廷) presidential campaign, accused the city government of showing little interest in inviting the player to serve as a spokesperson for the Universiade, saying it was only willing to pay her NT$500,000 (US$16,600) for promotional work for one year.
The city announced in October last year that it had invited golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) to serve as the event’s spokesperson.
Information and Tourism Bureau Commissioner Chao Hsin-ping (趙心屏) yesterday denied the city had plans to invite Hsieh Su-wei to promote the Universiade for NT$500,000. Chao said the bureau had considered many world-renowned athletes when choosing spokespersons for the event, including Hsieh Su-wei and NBA star Jeremy Lin (林書豪).
“We invited Yani Tseng to serve as spokesperson and her contract will end at the end of this year. We do not rule out the possibility of working with other athletes in promoting the event,” Chao said.
The total budget for hosting the event is about NT$42.5 billion, and the city signed a contract with Tseng in September last year for her to shoot videos and attend other promotional activities until the end of this year.
The first promotional video was released in December last year and has been seen in 134 countries and areas, including the US, Europe, Japan and South Korea, with a promotional budget of NT$70 million.
Taipei beat Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to secure the right to host the 2017 Summer Universiade. It will be the largest international event hosted by Taipei since the Summer Deaflympics in 2009 and the Taipei International Flora Expo in 2010.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) is attending the 2013 Universiade in Kazan, Russia, this week.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
The arrival of a cold front tomorrow could plunge temperatures into the mid-teens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Temperatures yesterday rose to 28°C to 30°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and 32°C to 33°C in central and southern Taiwan, CWA data showed. Similar but mostly cloudy weather is expected today, the CWA said. However, the arrival of a cold air mass tomorrow would cause a rapid drop in temperatures to 15°C cooler than the previous day’s highs. The cold front, which is expected to last through the weekend, would bring steady rainfall tomorrow, along with multiple waves of showers
RSS