In the News

ROC wins Olympic prize for giving

CTOC President Thomas W. Tsai (left) and badminton athlete Cheng Wen-hsing (center) receive a trophy July 23 from IOC President Jacques Rogge (right) for the CTOC’s clothing donation for refugees. (Courtesy of CTOC)

• Publication Date：07/25/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Grace Kuo

The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee received an award July 23 for being one of the top three donors of clothing to the International Olympic Committee’s Giving is Winning campaign.

The other two recipients were the British Olympic Association and Qatar Olympic Committee.

The event aims “to provide sportswear for young people at refugee camps,” the CTOC said. “We are grateful to be part of the campaign, with a hope to allow thousands of refugees to experience the joy of sport.”

IOC President Jacques Rogge presented the prize to CTOC President Thomas W. Tsai and badminton competitor Cheng Wen-hsing at a ceremony in the Athletes Village in London.

The CTOC noted that it received 7,099 items of secondhand sports and casual clothing from sports associations, athletes and the general public between Jan. 1 and May 31. “The clothes were shipped July 11 from Keelung and arrived in Karachi, Pakistan, July 23. Their final destination is a refugee camp in Khyber Pakhunkhwa province.”

According to the IOC website, “Giving is Winning is a worldwide solidarity campaign of the IOC, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organising Committee of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“Sport has the power to generate hope and joy among people, and with over 30 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world, every item counts,” it added.

IOC statistics show that 30,000 garments were collected at the 2004 Athens Olympics, while 75,000 were donated at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The goal for the London Games is 100,000. (THN)

Write to Grace Kuo at mlkuo@mofa.gov.tw