President Ma Ying-jeou met at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of November 2 with members of the Taiwan teams that took part in the 2010 Tug of War World Championships. The president congratulated the athletes on their success at the event and also expressed his appreciation for the efforts and contributions of the Chinese Taipei Tug of War Association.
The president noted that the teams from Taiwan comprised a total of 16 athletes from five high schools and universities, who traveled to South Africa to participate in seven days of heated competition. The women's team won 1st place in the 500 kg World Championships, 1st place in the 500 kg Open Club Championships, and 2nd place in the 540 kg Open Club Championships. The president noted that the Tug of War World Championships are held once every two years, and while in the past ROC teams have never finished in the top three, this year they won two golds and one silver. This is Taiwan's best performance ever, and the first time Asian teams have won golds at the World Championships in a century, he said.
President Ma commented that he met on April 19 of this year with athletes who had won medals at the 8th Asian Tug of War Championships in South Korea, and now, just half a year later, Taiwan's athletes have again come away as big winners, which he said is quite impressive. Tug of war teams from Taiwan have won top prizes at the 2009 World Games, the World Indoor Championship 2010, the 8th Asian Tug of War Championships in 2010, and now the 2010 Tug of War World Championships, demonstrating the strength of the ROC in this sport, he said.
The president noted that tug of war is a team sport which appears simple but in fact involves quite a bit more than meets the eye. A battle between two teams might be over in just a minute, he said, but long periods of stamina training are needed in the run-up to competitions. In addition, tug of war relies on more than just brute strength; it also requires intelligence, judgment, coordination, and cooperation.
The president said he believes that athletes develop not only strong bodies, but also high-level cognitive skills, as shown by the writings of Harvard University scholar Dr. John J. Ratey. Dr. Ratey points out in his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, that students involved in regular exercise have more energy and better concentration, which enables them to excel in their academic work, the president explained.
The president stated that the government should provide even better support for the development of tug of war in Taiwan, and offer more avenues for them to pursue higher education. This would enable athletes to focus on honing their skills in tug of war, which he said he hopes will lead to their continued success.
The teams representing Taiwan in the 2010 Tug of War World Championships were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji and Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling to meet President Ma and receive his congratulations. Also attending the meeting was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey.