President Chen Shui-bian received Choue Chungwon, the Chairman of the World Taekwondo Federation this morning. Besides expressing his welcome on behalf of the government and the people, the president also congratulated him on being elected as the head of the World Taekwondo Federation.
The president said that Taekwondo is a sport that the government promotes as much as possible, and he hopes that Chairman Choue would understand the efforts that Taiwan has been making in popularizing this sport. The president hopes that Taiwan and Korea could go on exchanging experiences on Taekwondo in the future.
The president's speech is as follows:
I am very happy today to meet Mr. Choue Chungwon, chairman of the World Taekwondo Federation. On behalf of the government of the Republic of China, I would like to express the warmest welcome to you. Chairman Choue had been the acting chairman of the World Taekwondo Federation since June 2004, and he was elected chairman of the federation on April 12, 2005. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my most sincere welcome to him. Meanwhile, I would also like to express my gratitude to the World Taekwondo Federation for the support and help it has given to this sport in Taiwan, enabling Taekwondo boxers in Taiwan to participate in world competitions.
I have learned that Chairman Choue arrived here from South Korea on July 1 and would be leaving for Singapore this afternoon where he will attend an annual meeting of the International Olympic Committee on July 6. The meeting will decide on the host city of the 2012 games in addition to the events of the competitions. Chairman Choue will have the tough task of winning the committee's consent to make Taekwondo an official event in the Olympics. I must thank Chairman Choue again for visiting Taiwan under such a tight schedule and job pressure.
Taking this opportunity, I would also like to ask Mr. Wu Ching-kuo who is a member of the International Olympic Committee to help Chairman Choue accomplish his mission, and at the same time help Taiwan Taekwondo players win a world stage.
Taekwondo has always been one of the most promoted sports in our country. Since it was listed as an exhibition event in Seoul's 1988 Olympic Games, our players had obtained two gold medals and three bronze medals. In the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, our participants had also obtained two gold medals and one silver medal under the judges' fair judgment requested by Chairman Choue. As soon as the good news reached home, the international community was also excited over Taiwan's sports achievement. I also knew that in order to let the competition be fair, Chairman Choue requested the establishment of a competition reform committee, using the latest electronic instruments to assure the fairness of the competition. I believe that these reforms will obtain the final recognition and affirmation of the other 125 countries of the International Olympic Committee so that Taekwondo would be listed as an official event in the Olympic Games.
Of course, I also hope that Chairman Choue would understand the efforts that Taiwan has been making in promoting this sport. In the future, I hope that more exchanges and development in Taekwondo can happen between Taiwan and Korea.
In conclusion, I would like to thank again Chairman Choue for his visit to Taiwan, and I hope his visit to Singapore a success.