KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Vice President Lai Ching-te visited the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung on Tuesday (Sept. 5) ahead of the postponed 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games to understand the preparations for the sports event and to wish the athletes good luck.
Pointing out that there are only 18 days left until the Asian Games, Lai wished the athletes and their coaches good luck on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen.
He emphasized in his speech that the government is responsible for supporting athletes, enabling them to chase their dreams in international events.
He also highlighted that the athletes bring glory to the country and unite the Taiwanese people together, with no "distinctions between parties, ethnic groups, or regions."
"When you stand on the international stage, the country is most united," Lai said.
Lai has been supporting athletes for a long time. He explained that during his time as premier, he approved funds for construction at the National Sports Training Center, advocated for athletes and coaches to fly in business class, pushed for the Sports Administration's Golden Plan 2.0 for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and approved the Program for Guiding Outstanding Athletes, which put NT＄6.4 billion towards the athletes within ten years.
This year, Taiwan will participate in 32 sports categories, with 524 athletes in total.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the pandemic stabilizes, the event will occur from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.