Taiwan Today

The official opening ceremony of the 50th International Children’s Games, sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, gets underway at 6 p.m. July 12 in northern Taiwan’s New Taipei City, bringing together over 2,000 participants from 83 cities around the world. Held every year for children between the ages of 12 and 15, the games allow participants to take part in a variety of cultural activities and sports such as athletics, basketball, handball, soccer, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball. Taiwan’s representation at the six-day event wrapping up July 16 is drawn from six cities and seven counties nationwide. According to event organizer New Taipei City Government, the games are an outstanding platform for cultural exchanges between the youth of Taiwan and their counterparts around the world. About 300 students from universities and up to 1,800 senior high schoolers from around the island are volunteering to buddy up with foreign athletes as a way of building friendships and making their stays more memorable and rewarding. As a way of showcasing the beauty and culture of the northern Taiwan metropolis for competitors and officials, the city government has made special arrangements to incorporate the local night market culture into the athletics night program at the athletes’ village in Fu Jen Catholic University. There are also two cultural tours to the Taoist Sanshia Ancestor Temple and to Yingge Ceramics Museum, as well as the closing ceremony at Pingxi District—a famous tourist attraction for releasing sky lanterns carrying written blessings and wishes into the night sky. Echoing the slogan of the games “Be Strong, Be Friends,” the Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration hopes the friendship and interaction among participants from the different cities will further stimulate the domestic sports environment and enhance Taiwan’s international visibility. The games were founded in 1968 to promote peace and friendship through sports for global youth. Since then, 37,000 children from 411 cities in 86 countries and territories have taken part in either the summer or winter editions of the event. This is the second time for the games to be held in Taiwan, with the first in Taipei 14 years ago. The 51st games are to be hosted by Kaunas in Lithuania next year. (WF-JSM) Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw