President Ma Ying-jeou met at the Presidential Office on the morning of November 25 with the Taiwan team to the 4th World Cup Woodball Championship. During the meeting, the president expressed his admiration for the classy behavior demonstrated by Taiwan taekwondo competitor Yang Shu-chun at the recent Asian Games, and called upon the woodball team to also serve as a model for sportsmanship and give its all to achieve victory in fair competition.
The president stated that physical activity not only helps to build strength, but also plays an important role in maintaining a positive mood and developing a sharper brain. More importantly, he said, athletic events are "fair play competitions" that emphasize fairness and help to instill the values of good sportsmanship. The president commented that at the Guangzhou Asian Games, Taiwan's Yang Shu-chun was treated unfairly in the taekwondo ring. Nonetheless, she handled herself extremely well, he said. While pleading her cause, Ms. Yang also urged everyone not to blow the incident out of proportion, politicize it, or indulge in hostility toward Koreans because of it. Expressing deep admiration for Ms. Yang's handling of the situation, President Ma said she showed that athletes are not, as is sometimes said, "all brawn and no brains." To the contrary, sports can help people to become more reasonable and mature. President Ma remarked that the government and the private sector are gathering evidence on Ms. Yang's case, and until investigations have been completed we categorically reject any unfounded accusations against our athletes. The president added that he hopes we can secure justice and protect the interests of our athletes.
President Ma stressed that "physical strength translates into national strength." It is for this reason, he said, that during his tenure as Taipei City mayor 80 swimming pools were constructed and that on average 75% of students in Taipei City passed swimming tests, which was the highest level in the nation. In addition, 12 sports centers were built throughout the city. The government, he explained, has plans to build 70 more sports centers and sports parks throughout cities and counties here, offering more convenience to residents seeking to engage in sports. This will not only help to increase the number of people who regularly exercise, but also provide a means to scout out more outstanding athletes in the future.
President Ma stated that the performance of Taiwan's athletes has been excellent. So far at the Guangzhou Asian Games, Taiwan's athletes have won 12 gold medals, 12 silvers, and 33 bronzes, for a total of 57 medals. Taiwan ranks fourth among all competing nations for total medal count, and fifth in the number of golds. Taiwan has exceeded its performance in the previous two Asian Games, he said, adding that the ROC also excels in woodball, which was invented by an ROC citizen. In March and April of this year, the team from Taiwan at the World Cup Woodball Championship in Bangkok won gold in the women's team division, silver in the men's team division, and golds in both the men's and women's individual divisions. Winning three golds and one silver was wonderful, he said, noting that woodball is for all ages and that he hopes it will continue to develop here.
The woodball team was led to the Presidential Office in the morning by Mr. Weng Ming-hui, President of the International Woodball Federation, to meet President Ma. During the meeting they were accompanied by Huang Ta-chou, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Taipei Woodball Association, and Tseng Sheng-Bao, Deputy Minister of the Sports Affairs Council.