The Greater Kaohsiung Government yesterday said it would spend one month evaluating the possibility of hosting the 2019 Asian Games after Vietnam withdrew from hosting the sports event last week.
Democratic Progressive Party Greater Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Sin-yu (陳信瑜) suggested that the city seek cooperative efforts from Greater Tainan and Pingtung County to show that southern Taiwan is capable of hosting such an international sports competition.
Chen said Kaohsiung indicated in 2010 that it was interested in hosting the Asian Games in 2019, but it lost the bid to Taipei.
However, Taipei gave up its quest to host the Asian Games in 2019 and decided to bid for the 2017 Summer Universiade instead.
“Kaohsiung missed the chance to bid for the Asian Games twice before,” she said.
“The city should do everything it can this time to host the Games, which will demonstrate to the world that the city is able to raise its publicity around the world and host an international sports event,” Chen added.
Chen said the city had hosted the 2009 World Games, for which it built a state-of-the-art stadium and recruited thousands of passionate volunteers.
These are advantages that the city has over other potential hosts, she said.
Greater Kaohsiung Department of Sports Director Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said the department would start evaluating the possibility of hosting the Games after briefing Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊).
Vietnam backed out as the host of the Asian Games on Friday last week, saying that the poor preparation could damage the country’s reputation and the cost of hosting the sports event could far exceed its proposed budget.
Aside from Greater Kaohsiung, both Malaysia and Indonesia have indicated their intentions to replace Vietnam as the host country for the Games.
Malaysia said it would consider hosting the Games if the Olympic Council of Asia helps pay for the cost.
Indonesia was seen as a strong candidate to replace Vietnam, as the two were competing in the bid in 2012 to host the Asian Games. Vietnam’s Hanoi City trumped Surabaya in Indonesia and secured the right to host the Games.
However, Indonesia Olympic Committee chairwoman Rita Subowo said Surabaya would only be ready to host the Asian Youth Games in 2021, not the Asian Games in 2019.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS