During President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) eight years in office, she has perhaps done more for the armed forces and sports than any other president in the nation’s history, and these are also things that president-elect William Lai (賴清德) has supported for many years, so he can be expected to be at least as good as Tsai in this respect.
A nation’s performance in sports is a reflection of its overall strength. When Lai was mayor of Tainan, his administration invested heavily in sports, especially baseball. The world-famous Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Centers complex in Tainan’s Annan District (安南) was planned and established during Lai’s term as mayor.
When mayor, Lai and I watched Taiwan’s under-12 baseball team play against a foreign team. As well as knowing about the sports business, Lai showed his expertise by acting as my personal commentator, explaining and analyzing how the game was going. As well as promoting sports as public policy, he often went to watch games and enjoy the competition, because he is a big sports fan.
With the presidential inauguration coming up on Monday next week, Lai and his incoming Cabinet have a lot of major policy projects ahead of them, but one of events in which the new administration can give a good impression during its honeymoon period is the Paris Olympics, which is to commence on July 26.
Taiwanese have always loved their national teams. Remember the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when Taiwanese athletes kept achieving great results and winning medals. Their success created an “Olympic whirlwind” in Taiwan, and the public realized that this was the result of the successful implementation of sports policies such as the “Gold Plan.”
If Lai pays special attention to the Paris Olympics and provides not only encouragement, but also practical benefits, it would give a big boost to Taiwanese athletes’ morale and help them achieve great results. That would naturally become the Lai administration’s first obvious policy success. It would be a good idea for Lai to start his term in office by immediately scheduling a visit to the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營) to meet the nation’s athletes and coaches. As well as giving encouragement, he could also use the visit to announce a set of short, medium and long-term sports policy objectives. This would not only show his determination but also inspire the public.
Short-term measures might include:
First, with respect to the Paris Olympics, the government could motivate athletes by increasing their cash prizes by a reasonable amount. All national athletes who have qualified for the Olympics could be awarded a NT$300,000 (US$9,284) prize. The Sports Administration should examine whether, in addition to the Guo Guang Athletic Medals and Scholarships (國光體育獎章及獎助學金頒發辦法) awards program, additional bonuses could be given to Taiwan’s Olympic medalists, such as a cash bonus of NT$5 million for a gold medal, NT$2 million for a silver and NT$1 million for a bronze. Coaches should also be awarded bonuses.
Second, Lai could endeavor to upgrade the Sports Administration from a division under the Ministry of Education to a ministry of sports during his term, to show the nation the importance he attaches to sports.
He could also implement the following medium-term measures:
First, establish a comprehensive sports training base.
Second, promote version three of the Gold Plan, make it a regular policy and optimize it.
Third, strive for Taiwan to host major comprehensive sports competitions at the continental level, and also try to conduct cross-strait sports exchanges in single sports, such as using baseball to promote sports diplomacy.
The following long-term measures could be considered:
First, organize sports certification at all levels such as sports villages, sports enterprises and sports schools.
Second, establish and improve sports businesses and set up city-level sports business zones.
Third, adopt a professional management system for sports organizations at all levels.
Announcing these or similar short, medium and long-term measures would surely elicit a good response from the sports community and energize the industry. No doubt young baseball and basketball fans would feel the same way. Just as great sporting performances boost the public mood, they would give the world a long-lasting impression of Taiwan’s rising national strength.
Winning international tournaments is not the only way to demonstrate the nation’s strength. Lai’s government can also engage in sports diplomacy with friendly countries. For example, if India wants to organize a professional baseball team, Taiwan can help by exporting its baseball know-how. The nation has a long history of sending teams to help other countries develop their agriculture, so why not do the same with baseball?
In the 1970s, the US and China broke the ice with “ping-pong diplomacy.” What worked for them might also work for Taiwan. Maybe cooperating through “sports diplomacy” can bring Taipei and Beijing closer together.
Chen Yu-hsin is a former deputy chair of the National Council of Physical Fitness and Sports and a former Taichung County deputy commissioner.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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