President Chen Shui-bian met this morning with the Taiwanese delegation of the 2005 World Wheelchair and Amputee Games, which took place in Brazil. The president expressed his respect and congratulations to all the athletes and all people who have supported the Taiwanese team, and extended his acknowledgement and respect for the hard work they have done.
The president's remarks:
As the 2005 World Wheelchair and Amputee Games ended on September 24 in Brazil, our athletes have demonstrated extraordinary strength and stamina after rigorous training over the years. They competed with over 700 of their counterparts from about 44 countries around the world, and they have taken home 11 gold medals, 15 silver medals and seven bronze ones. While Shu-jen and I were unable to go to the games with you, all of you have been constantly in our thoughts. My wife and I therefore offer our greatest confirmation, gratitude and admiration to your outstanding performance.
I believe that we share the same excitement as we learned that we have created such an excellent performance in the international sports arena after all the rigid training and painstaking efforts. You have never stopped trying and have vied for championships. And you made not only your families and friends, but also people all over the world know that you can be the best of the best and demonstrate your sports talents in full and with all your potentials. Taiwan's 23 million people and I have been honored by you all, and we feel very proud of you. I want to take this opportunity to express my respect and congratulations to you and to all the people who have supported you. Thank you for your hard work that earned for our country such a glorious triumph as well as a good reputation internationally.
The World Wheelchair and Amputee Games is formerly known as the World Wheelchair Games. The games were sponsored by the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF), founded in 1948. In 2004, the organization was merged with the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ISOD), and together they formed the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS). This year, Brazil became the host country of the first World Wheelchair and Amputee Games after the World Wheelchair Games changed its name. Taiwanese athletes have played in the games since 1993 and this year marked the seventh participation of such games. And we have earned extraordinary results in every year of the games.
Finally, I want to congratulate all of you again as you brought home such glorious results and wish you good health and happiness.