Taiwan races against China shadow

Taiwan races against China shadow

By Robin Kwong in Kaohsiung 2009-07-16

Beijing asserted its place on the world stage last summer with an eye-popping opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in its landmark Bird's Nest stadium, followed by epic performances by international athletes such as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.

Taiwan is hoping to turn a similar trick when it hosts the World Games at the port city of Kaohsiung this week. However, the odds are long that Taiwan will be able to use the quadrennial games – an affiliate of the Olympics for sports not included in the main event such as squash, canoe polo and fistball – as effectively.

The World Games will be launched in an innovative open-ended, solar-powered stadium designed by a Japanese architect. Anchored by the $145m (£89m, €104m) stadium, Taiwan is investing far more in the games than the previous seven hosts. The games are the largest global event held in Taiwan in decades following years of isolation. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province.

While the profusion of cable sports channels such as ESPN means the 31 sports on display in Kaohsiung can reach television screens across the world, the games are even a hard sell in Kaohsiung itself, a city of 1.5m people.

Kaohsiung organisers have sold fewer than a quarter of the total seats available, despite pricing them much lower than tickets for the 2005 games held in Duisberg, Germany.

“Quite frankly, it is a disappointment,” said Chu Ting-shan, executive secretary of the Kaohsiung organising committee, who blames the economic slowdown and the cost of travelling to Taiwan.

Organisers are resorting to one last marketing push, including promising a T$4m ($121,000, £74,000, €86,000) house in Kaohsiung and a Volkswagen Polo to holders of lucky ticket numbers. Kaohsiung also suffers from not having famous tourist sites to match Beijing's Forbidden City or the Great Wall. City officials like to play up the Love River, which courses through the city and is known within shipping circles because of its container port, one of the world's busiest.

The 3,200 athletes from nearly 100 countries who will compete in Kaohsiung are more impressed. Sion Scone, 27, a member of the British national ultimate frisbee team, says the 40,000-seat Kaohsiung stadium is “without a doubt” the grandest venue ever to host a frisbee tournament.

While Taiwan may not achieve the same success as China, just putting on the games is an achievement, even if both the island and the World Games remain in Beijing's shadow.

International organisation have shied away from holding events on the island out of concern that it might jeopardise participation by or even provoke retaliation from China.

But the games come as cross-Strait relations continue to show significant improvement following the election of Ma Ying-jeou, the Taiwanese president, last year. Mr Ma has been mending fences with China, which has eased its opposition to Taiwan having an international presence.

“Simply being able to host this event is already a success for Taiwan,” said Frank Hsieh, the former Kaohsiung mayor defeated in last year's presidential election. “It is very important for Taiwan because it a show of confidence that we can hold an international event.”

Earlier this year Taiwan participated in its first United Nations event since being expelled from the organisation in 1979, becoming an observer to the annual assembly of the World Health Organisation.

分析：高雄世运会的成就

英国《金融时报》邝彦晖(Robin Kwong)报道 2009-07-16

去年夏天，北京在其标志性的鸟巢体育场馆，举办了让人瞠目结舌的2008年奥运会开幕式，借此确立自己在世界舞台上的地位。在该届奥运会上，迈克尔•菲尔普斯(Michael Phelps)和尤塞恩•博尔特(Usain Bolt)等国际运动员取得了惊人的表现。

台湾希望，本周在港口城市高雄开幕的世界运动会(World Games)，也能取得类似效果。世运会得到国际奥委会的承认和支持，每四年举办一次，竞赛项目基本上都是非奥运项目，如壁球、轻艇水球和浮士德球。然而，台湾像北京那样有效利用世运会的几率不大。

世运会将在一座创新的开放式场馆举行，这座场馆由一名日本建筑师设计，采用太阳能，造价1.45亿美元。台湾为世运会投入的资金，远远超过前七届的东道主。世运会是台湾遭到多年孤立后，主办的几十年来最大规模国际大型活动。北京将台湾视为一个叛离省份。

借助ESPN等众多体育频道，世界各地都能收看到在高雄举行的31个比赛项目。然而，在拥有150万人口的主办城市高雄，世运会门票却不怎么好卖。

高雄的主办方目前仅售出不到四分之一门票，尽管票价远低于2005年在德国杜伊斯堡举行的世运会门票。

“坦率地说，这让人失望，”高雄世运会主办委员会执行秘书朱挺珊表示。她将原因归结于经济放缓，以及到台湾旅行的费用较高。

主办方正使出压箱底的营销术，包括承诺持有幸运数字门票者，将获得高雄市一座价值400万新台币的住宅和一辆大众Polo。高雄也苦于没有媲美北京 紫禁城和长城的著名旅游景点。当地官员喜欢夸耀流经全城的“爱河”，这条河在航运界颇有名，其集装箱港口是世界最繁忙的港口之一。

来自近100个国家的3200名运动员将参加高雄运动会，他们对主办地的印象倒是不错。今年27岁的英国终极飞盘国家队队员西昂•斯昆(Sion Scone)表示，拥有4万个座位的高雄体育馆，“无疑”是有史以来最宏伟的飞盘比赛场地。

虽然台湾也许无法取得与北京一样的成功，但是，能够举办比赛本身就是一项成就，即使台湾和世运会都依然笼罩在北京的阴影下。

国际组织一向避免在台湾举办赛事，担心会影响中国参赛，甚至激起中国报复。

但本届世运会举办之际，正值两岸关系自去年马英九当选台湾总统以来持续显著改善。马英九一直在努力修补与中国大陆的关系，而中国大陆也不再那么反对台湾拥有一定国际空间。

“对台湾来说，光是能够举办这次运动会，就已经是一项成功了，”在去年总统竞选中败北的原高雄市长谢长廷表示。“对台湾来说，这非常重要，因为这是信心的体现，说明我们能够举办国际大型活动。”

自1979年被逐出联合国(UN)以来，台湾在今年早些时候首次参与联合国活动，以观察员身份参加世界卫生组织(WHO)年度大会。

译者/岱嵩

台湾：初の国際スポーツ大会　チケット消化率は３分の１

　【台北・大谷麻由美】オリンピック種目以外の競技を集めた国際大会「ワールドゲームズ」が１６日から台湾南部の高雄で開かれる。「もう一つの五 輪」と呼ばれ、台湾にとって初の大型国際総合スポーツ大会の主催だが、全体のチケット消化率は３割と振るわない。文化やスポーツなどソフトパワーを通じた 外交強化を進める馬英九政権にとって痛手となりかねない事態だ。

　ワールドゲームズは認知度が高いとは言えないが、世界の一流選手が一堂に会する祭典だ。今回の大会は空手、武術、相撲、綱引き、ビリヤード、ボー リング、ライフセービングなど３１競技に約９０カ国から選手約３０００人が集まる。今回で８回目の開催。アジアでは０１年の秋田に次いで２回目となる。

　台湾メディアによると、今月１日時点での開幕式、競技、閉幕式を合わせたチケット消化率は２１％。１０日には３２％にまで上がったが、宿泊施設の予約率は期待を大きく下回り４～６割にとどまっている。昨年同期より３割減の状態だ。

　国際大会開催に不慣れな高雄市政府の宣伝下手に加え、新型インフルエンザの拡大でツアーのキャンセルが相次いだのも盛り上がりに欠ける原因のようだ。