President Ma Ying-jeou met with members of the 2010 International Children's Games (ICG) Executive Committee at the Presidential Office on the morning of November 15. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to the committee members on their visit to Taiwan.
The president remarked that Taiwan first established a relationship with the ICG when he served as Taipei City mayor. Taipei was invited to participate in the ICG held in Hungary in 2001 and hosted the 35th ICG the following year, when it won nine gold medals, six silvers, and six bronzes. He noted that teams from Taiwan have participated in 11 ICG events since 2001, helping to establish a strong relationship with the organization.
President Ma stated that the ICG is an international organization that is sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee with the aim to promote world harmony. The founder of the ICG, Metod Klemenc, established the games in order to foster athletic interaction among youth from different cultural backgrounds. The first ICG was held in Slovenia in 1968 and in recent years the activity has gradually expanded from Eastern Europe to Asia. Taiwan has played an important role in this expansion, the president said, though it has encountered some difficulties in participating over the past few years. For instance, mainland China sought to block the team from Taipei City from entering during an opening ceremony, and there was an instance in which the flag representing the Taiwan contingent was omitted. President Ma said that Secretary General of ICG Richard Smith intervened firmly and ultimately enabled the Taipei City flag to fly in the arena. The president expressed his deepest appreciation in this regard on behalf of the government and people of this country.
The president told the visitors that their trip to Taiwan coincides with the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. In addition to the Flora Expo, the visitors have toured Taipei Stadium, Taipei Arena, and various public sports centers throughout the city. President Ma mentioned that 12 public sports centers have been opened throughout Taipei City that offer city residents five-star equipment and services at a reasonable price. The president cited statistics showing that over one million visits are made to the sports centers by city residents each month, which he said is an impressive figure. He expressed his hope that the Executive Committee members will understand the efforts made by Taiwan to promote exercise among the public, and that they will take advantage of this opportunity to exchange opinions on promotion of regional athletics and international ties.
The visiting members of the 2010 ICG Executive Committee include Torsten Rasch (President, Germany), Igor Topole (Vice President, Slovenia), David Gilbert (Vice President, United States), Richard Smith (Secretary General, Germany), Wolfgang Glenz (Treasurer, Germany), Maksimiljan Vecko (Member, Germany), and Fen-Fen Chang (Member, ROC). The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Sports Affairs Council Deputy Minister Steven S. K. Chen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Wang Yu-chi.