Weighing in on the controversial disqualification of Asian Games contender Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Sinbei City mayoral candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday announced his support for the creation of a new taekwondo training center.
Chu said in a statement that Taiwan needed to better equip its athletes to give them more determination in “beating the Korean team” in international sporting events.
“We are all behind Yang because of the injustice she was suffered,” he said in the statement. “This is why we need to better support and train the abilities of our athletes … by creating a large taekwondo -training center in northern Taiwan.”
Chu’s announcement came after Yang’s father, Yang Chin-hsing (楊進興), a resident of Taipei County was found to have attended a campaign rally for Chu’s opponent, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the previous night.
Tsai’s campaign officials said the meeting was not planned in advance.
“He stood close to the stage and [you can see] he cares very much about this election,” Tsai said.
While the athlete’s father stopped short of confirming that he supported the DPP candidate, Tsai said she believed “this was probably why he came to the campaign rally.”
Downplaying the encounter’s possible effect on Saturday’s election, officials at Chu’s campaign released photographs also confirming that Yang Chin-hsing’s father had also met the KMT candidate on Saturday, after Chu paid a visit to the Yang family home in Yingge Township (鶯歌).
“As I’ve always said, this controversy exceeds politics and both parties, regardless of color, should support our Yang Shu-chun,” Chu said about the meeting.
Yang Shu-chun’s father inadvertently found himself in the media spotlight after he told a call-in TV program on Wednesday that he could not accept his daughter’s sudden disqualification from the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
At the time, he heavily criticized Sports Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chen Hsien-chung (陳顯宗), who told him to “swallow the ruling” after World Taekwondo Federation officials said Yang Shu-chun had illegally attached extra sensory pads on her socks. That ruling is now under dispute after video evidence confirmed that she had taken the two pads off prior to the match.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS