President Ma Ying-jeou met with International World Games Association President Ron Froehlich on the afternoon of May 12 at the Presidential Office and welcomed him on his visit to Taiwan.
The president remarked that the World Games will be held in July in Kaohsiung, while the Deaflympics will be held in September in Taipei, making this a big year for athletics in Taiwan. The World Games in Kaohsiung will run from July 16 to July 26 and will include a number of events that are not seen in the Olympics. Around 4,500 athletes and coaches will participate in the games and nearly 10,000 people are expected to attend. The president commented that few athletics events are held on such a large scale anywhere in the world and that we are looking forward to the opening of the Games.
President Ma furthermore said that the World Games have been a focal point of the athletics community since they were first held in 1981. While many of the events are different from the sports featured in the Olympics, a good number of the competitive events are sports that ordinary people may play in their daily lives. This explains the popularity of the World Games, he said. The president said he is very happy that the World Games will be held in Kaohsiung and stressed that the government will make every effort to support this athletic event.
The president said that on July 16 last year he visited Kaohsiung City to attend a warm-up activity that was staged exactly one year ahead of the opening of the World Games. He said he saw many private groups enthusiastically participating in the event and expects that the opening ceremonies in July will be even more exciting. President Ma commented that the main venues for the Kaohsiung World Games have been completed and that the structures are quite modern in their design. The president said he understands that the people of Kaohsiung are eagerly looking forward to the event, and he therefore welcomed Mr. Froehlich and the members of the delegation on behalf of the government and people here.
President Ma also shared with Mr. Froehlich his personal excitement about the upcoming games. He commented that his favorite event is the Ironman Triathlon. While this is not an Olympic sport, it is included in the World Games. Therefore, he said he is looking forward to watching the competition.