Good Luck, Taiwan! 2009 National Athletic Games in Taichung

10/24(Sat)~10/29(Thu)

Taichung City Government invites you to participate!

Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Naomi Lai

On the evening of October 24, the 2009 National Athletic Games will kick off in Taichung. Unlike previous years, this year's opening ceremony will shelve the fireworks and instead project the image of goddess Mazu onto the ceremony grounds via a laser light show, symbolizing good blessings for Taiwan and marking this year's National Athletic Games as "the best athletic games ever".

Mazu's blessings on a City of Athletics
The warm-up show for the opening ceremony will start at 7 p.m. with superstar music group S.H.E. leading the event mascot into the arena. Then the main flame of the games will be lit by famous taekwondo martial artist Su Li-Wen and baseball star Chang Tai-Shan. In the past, fireworks followed the lighting of the flame, but this year will see the above-mentioned goddess Mazu blessing instead. After the laser show, an Athlete's Night Concert will be emceed by famous host Tao Ching-Ying with performances from Wang Leehom, Lala Hsu, Shin band, Kenji Wu and A-mei marking the evening's climax.

Eighteen years have passed since Taichung last hosted this national sports event and the city has spared no effort to prepare. Proud to stand as a "City of Athletics", Taichung is packed with well-equipped sports facilities and passionate spectators. Taichung residents' enthusiasm for sports can be seen with the packed-out audiences for local games, whether the sport is baseball or basketball.

Great facilities for great athletic performances
Giving its all for this event, the entire city has been drawn into preparations. Although both Taipei and Kaohisung constructed new stadiums for recent international sporting events, Taichung is not putting up any new buildings for this top national athletic event. To conserve resources and reduce waste of software and hardware, existing sports venues were equipped and upgraded to international standards for the games. Renovation work done on the running track at National Taiwan Sports University and other sports venues are ample illustration that Taichung not only can provide high-quality facilities for athletes to excel at, but also is equalling the standards set by new construction up north and down south.

A successful athletic event needs the participation of the whole city. To further involve the city in the event, most competitions will be held in school arenas, with exception of the main track and field games, drawing the games into every corner of the city and giving nearby citizens a chance to experience the power and beauty of various sports. This also serves an educational purpose, teaching students about the importance of sportsmanship.

Some competitions will be held at specialized venues, such as archery at the Chiayi Ten Liao Shooting range, equestrian events at the Kaohsiung County Oldenburg Equestrian Center, rowing on Yilan's Dong Shan River, and sailing at the Penghu County Guanyin Pavillion. Although these events are not held in Taichung, these locations and venues will help allow athletes to give their best performances.

First athletic village in hotels
Taichung has confidence that it can provide not only the best stage for sporting contests, but also offer the best accommodations. An athlete's performance can be influenced by the quality of their sleep. With this in mind, Taichung has this year gone all-out to locate the athlete village in top-quality hotels instead of schools in Taichung.

Most athlete villages in the past were located at schools, with athletes from around the country curling up with their teammates in classrooms in sleeping bags or blankets. While this is not a bad tradition, it potentially impacts the sleeping quality of individual athletes, who may have different sleeping habits and needs. Some athletes would rather pay for hotels out of their own pockets to prevent sub-par performances resulting from a lack of sleep. To insure accomodation quality, Taichung will be providing athletes with discounted hotels and lodging stipends for the duration of their participation in this year's event, in the hopes of giving them an experience they won't easily forget.

Win a million in unforgettable Taichung
In addition, if athletes stay in a hotel, they have the chance to win a million NT dollars in cash. Within lottery regulations, expenses incurred during this period of time will be eligible for a lottery drawing, meaning that the million-dollar winner might be one of the National Athletic Games' participants.

The deadline for the "Travel and Win a Million" lottery draw is October 31. One winner will be drawn on November 5 to win a million NT dollars. The rule is to collectively spend either more than NT$3,000, or more than NT$6,000 before the deadline. The NT$3,000 option must include an accommodation receipt to be eligible, making this the perfect choice for National Athletic Games athletes. This way, they can not only enjoy a pleasant stay, but also a chance to become a millionnaire. This is sure to make an impression on visiting athletes from around the island, as they enjoy Taichung's passionate hospitality and leave with pleasant memories of the city.

Also don't miss the "Taichung City Tour" service during the National Athletic Games. For five days, four tours and 200 buses will take athletes around Taichung, offering them a deeper look and understanding of this metropolis.