Dozens of Taiwanese athletes who competed in the Paris Olympic Games are to take part in a parade in Taipei tomorrow afternoon, along with their families and coaches.
The parade is to start on Chongqing S Road, Sec 1, outside the Presidential Office Building at 3pm, General Association of Chinese Culture secretary-general Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶) told a news conference.
The procession is to travel down Xiangyang Road and Guanqian Road before ending on Zhongxiao W Road, Lee said.
Photo: CNA
The parade would be led by a military motorcade and feature several marching bands, he said.
About 4,000 to 5,000 national flags and event-specific flags produced by the association — the main organizer of the parade — would be distributed along the route to people who wish to take part in the celebrations, he added.
People could also bring their own banners and signs to warmly welcome home “our Taiwanese heroes,” he said.
Photo: Reuters
Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) told the news conference that about 67 athletes and their coaches, as well as eight referees who worked at the Paris Olympics, are to take part in the procession on military vehicles.
The participating Olympians would include gold medalists boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) and shuttler Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), as well as bronze medal-winning athletes boxer Chen Nien-chin (陳念琴), gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) and shooter Lee Meng-yuan (李孟遠), Chang Liao said.
Some of the athletes would be accompanied by family members, said Chang Liao, whose ministry oversees the Sports Administration.
Photo courtesy of GACC
Traffic restrictions would be in place in the area as early as 9pm today, the Taipei Police Department’s traffic division said.
Before the parade, a party — to be held exclusively for the athletes, their coaches, family members and support staff, as well as referees — is to take place at the Presidential Office at 1pm tomorrow, with President William Lai (賴清德) expected to welcome and chat with attendees.
The party and the procession would be live-streamed, Lee Hou-ching said.
Separately, Minister Without Portfolio Shih Che (史哲) announced that a ministry for sports development would be established next year, in addition to a “national sports industry development center.”
The center would coordinate resources for athletes and would include input from the nation’s Olympians, Shih told reporters.
The decision to create the center and the ministry was the result of long-term planning, not merely because of the recently concluded Paris Olympics, he said.
According to the Ministry of Education’s original plan, the sports ministry was to be established on Jan. 1, 2026, but as Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has called for an expedited timeline, a working group is to be formed after today’s Cabinet meeting to make the necessary preparations, Shih said.
Hopefully, the proposal would be forwarded to the legislature when it starts its new session next month so the ministry could be established next year, although it is impossible to predict a precise date, he added.
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