Can Taipei become a host city for mega sporting events in future?

Taipei City, successfully hosted the 2017 Summer Universiade Games. Taipei’s successful experience in holding international events such as 2009 Summer Deaflympics, the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo and Taipei World Design Expo 2011. After hosting such big events it gained FISU’s recognition and confidence in its capability to host Summer Universiade Games.

The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural event which is staged every two years in a different city. It is only second to the Olympic Games. The Summer Universiade consists of 14 compulsory sports and up to 3 optional sports chosen by the host country.

Key facts about the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade (SU)

·       The only summer multi-sport event in the world that connects students at both academic and athletic levels

·       12 days of sports competitions

·       More than 12,000 student-athletes and officials from over 155 countries

·       14 compulsory sports and up to 7 optional sports

·       16,000 Volunteers

·       Broadcasted by more than 100 TV channels.

·       73 Sports venues in Taipei City (OC, 2017)

On September 13, 2017 International Olympic Committee made an historic decision by simultaneously awarding Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and 2028 to Los Angeles. President of IOC, Mr. Thomas Bach added, "These are two great cities from two great countries with a great Olympic history. Both cities are very enthusiastic about the Games and are promoting the Olympic spirit in a fantastic way," (IOC, 2017)

If we look at Taipei as a new destination to host mega sporting events?

Taipei city is active 24-hours a day and is home to the passionate and exciting nightlife. This city never sleeps. The urban tapestry of the Taipei metropolis is marked by crowds of avid readers seated in silence in bookstores, and cyclists pedaling along bicycle lanes amidst the gentle breeze. What’s more special in Taipei, each of the 12 administrative districts has its own sports center with features; they offer assorted equipment’s and courses with affordable charge. If we look at recreational sports in Taipei City, different sports centers for rock climbing, archery, springboard diving, paintball, diving pools and other sets to satisfy different sports demands. For seniors aged 65 or above, low-income households, the disabled, and other underprivileged groups, the sports centers offer discounts and charitable time for them to use swimming pools, gyms, ball courts, and other facilities for free, making sports more popular.

Moreover Taiwan’s athletes had outstanding achievements in various sports competitions, such as winning 32 medals and being ranked the 10th place among the participating countries in the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade, as well as maintaining the top 10 from 2005 to 2011. Consequently, Taipei has won an international recognition with its strong soft and hard capabilities. 

Tourism & Culture in Taipei:

In 2015, 10 million international tourists visited Taiwan. The island’s size and diversity allows tourists to experience a variety of different landscapes, cultures and cuisines all within short distances. On top of that, Taiwan is famous for the kindness of its locals, which is truly the country’s greatest attraction. 

Visitors：1,939,818

This Year：1,660,843

Update：2017-09-14 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2017)

Economy:

Taiwan occupies an important position in the global economy. Among the country’s most important industries are biotechnology, computers and peripherals, integrated circuits, optoelectronics, precision machinery and telecommunications. According to the World Trade Organization, Taiwan was the 20th largest exporter and 19th largest importer of merchandise in 2014. Many authoritative surveys of the global economy including those conducted by the Business Environment Risk Intelligence, Economist Intelligence Unit and World Economic Forum rank Taiwan among the world’s top nations year after year with respect to long-term growth and technological development.

While small and medium enterprises are the backbone of the nation’s economy, more and more large enterprises have emerged in recent years. Taiwan companies like Foxconn and Quanta Computer are original design manufacturers renowned for manufacturing products for global brands including Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Dell. Industry in Taiwan is not content to rest on its laurels, though, with a growing number of companies evolving beyond simple manufacturing to creating their own brands. Companies such as Acer, Asus and HTC are forging global brands in the laptop and smartphone markets.

Simon Anholt argues that a countries reputation is comprised of 6 elements:

·       The country’s promotion as a tourist destination along with the first hand experiences of people who visit the country for business or for pleasure.

·       The brands the country exports

·       The government policies

·       The business climate

·       The country’s cultural products, from sports to cinema

·       The people of the country, including celebrities to ordinary people. This is impacted how individual citizens behave towards the foreigners they encounter both at home and abroad. (Anholt, 2007)

With the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade Games, it made Taiwan known to the world and displayed the unique sport style of Taipei. 

Taipei is FOR YOU, FOR YOUTH

References

Anholt, S. (2007). What is Competitive Identity? London: Palgrave Macmillan, London.

IOC. (2017, September Wednesday). www.olympic.org/news. Retrieved from www.olympic.org.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R. o. (2017, September Thursday ). https://www.taiwan.gov.tw.

OC, T. 2. (2017, Septmeber). https://www.fisu.net/events/summer-universiade. Taipei,Taiwan: https://2017.taipei. Retrieved from www.fisu.net: https://www.fisu.net/events/summer-universiade