Arakawa and other well-known Japanese figure skaters, including Takeshi Honda and Junko Yaginuma, will skate in six shows of the Prince Ice World 2007 Tour in Taipei, to be held Aug. 3 - 5 at the Taipei Arena.

Arakawa, 26, is the first female skater born in Asia to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating, and the second oldest woman to win the Olympic figure skating gold. She announced her retirement from amateur figure skating and turned professional in May 2006, joining the Prince Ice World Team.

Speaking to a large group of reporters, Arakawa said she would like to promote the beauty of figure skating to the people of Taiwan through this tour. She also encouraged young Taiwanese skaters to “endure the pain and hard work in daily practices with a positive attitude.”

“The basic approach to sports is to enjoy the happy side of it and forget the pain and sorrow, “ she said.

Arakawa, one of the tallest female figure skaters at 5 feet 6 inches, is known for her spins and jumping ability, especially her triple-triple combination.

By winning the gold medal in Turin, the Prince Ice World Team said, Arakawa helped once again make ice skating one of the most popular sports in Japan.

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