Directly opposite the Taiwan delegation’s apartment block in the Athlete’s Village in Beijing are China’s red flag-draped dorms.
Taiwan’s chef de mission Tsai Szu-chueh (蔡賜爵) points at them and the ornamental pond between the two camps when he says, “It’s just like the Taiwan Strait.”
The sports administrator has been leading Taiwan’s athletes across the globe for the past 11 years, including the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and in Doha and the Athens Olympics.
PHOTO: JOHN HANCOCK
Even so, he rates Beijing No. 1.
“The hardware, like construction, is the best and the volunteers have shown great dedication by offering high-level services,” he said, ensconced in his cozy office.
“The only disappointment is the Chinese food offered in the Olympic Village is not as unique as Beijing has claimed,” Tsai added, speaking of the limited range of fruit on offer compared with Taiwan.
Commenting on local media reports claiming Taiwan athletes were feeling at home in Beijing, Tsai said this was true to an extent because of a shared history and frequent interactions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“Taiwan does enjoy closer ties with China than with other nations, not to mention the fact that we share the same language and similar culture,” he said. “But we take a dispassionate view of competing here. We do not ask that China treat us any differently to other people from around the world.”
Regarding the medal count, Tsai was reasonably bullish after the team pocketed two bronzes in weightlifting and with the taekwondo competition yet to begin.
He was talking about Athens gold medalist Chu Mu-yen (朱木炎) and said it was important not to put too much pressure on him — when taekwondo coach Hou Wei-hsing (侯緯星) walked in.
“There’s no problem with Chu’s skills,” Hou said. “His biggest rival is himself, no one else.”
Tsai admitted he was disappointed with Taiwan’s baseball team, particularly the defeat against China, but complimented the opposition.
“China’s baseball has made considerable improvements over the years, that’s not in doubt. What’s more important is for us to review our system at home,” he said.
“Some of our professional baseball players go to Japan or the US to further their careers and when important events like the Olympics come their teams do not necessarily release them, like New York Yankees pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民),” Hou said.
“We need to create a better environment for players to bring their talents into full play so that fans can watch their favorite players compete for our country,” he said.
Speaking of the increasing professionalism within top-level sport, Tsai said it was important for the government to pump money in if it wanted its athletes to succeed.
He said the long-awaited sports lotto launched in May had caused a backlash in sporting circles because revenues were being ploughed into social welfare programs instead.
Even so, he said, Taiwan’s athletes were being richly rewarded for winning medals, with prize money of NT$12 million (gold), NT$7 million (silver) and NT$5 million (bronze), on offer.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS