Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Friday, January 2, 2009 9:47 am TWN, By Dimitri Bruyas, The China Post

Taipei mayor inaugurates 2009 'Deaflympics Year'

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin, right, kicks off the city's “Deaflympics Year,” beside the official mascot of the 2009 Summer Deaflympics Games to be held Sept. 5-15, during a ...

Enlarge Photo

Sponsors
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.

Taipei mayor inaugurates 2009 'Deaflympics Year'

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin kicked off yesterday the city's “Deaflympics Year,” vowing to upgrade Taipei as a “truly international city” through the 2009 Summer Deaflympic Games, taking place Sept. 5-15.

Speaking an event held at Taipei Arena — one of the main locations of the forthcoming competition for hearing-impaired athletes — he stressed that the 2009 Summer Deaflympics will help promote the visibility of Taipei City on the international scene.

The Games' official slogan, “Power in Me,” is indicative of the government's resolve to showcase Taipei as a major venue for international events, he pointed out.

The first Summer Deafolympics were held in Paris in 1924.

In 1995, the Games received official recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Today, 96 national deaf sports federations are members of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

Named host city for the 21st Summer Deaflympics in 2003, Taipei will be the first Asian city to host Deaflympics Games.

During the last Deaflympics held in Melbourne, Australia, Taiwan ranked fifth among all participating countries, with nine gold medals, four silvers and three bronzes.

“We have great confidence in Taiwan's competing athletes,” said Hau, expressed certainty that they will achieve even better results this year because of their home field advantage.

Dana Tai, minister of the Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council, also pledged that prizes for Taiwanese medalists this year will be higher than those given at the Melbourne games.

She said a gold medalist this year will receive more than NT$1 million, up from the previous award amount of NT$750,000.

Further, the event's art director Stan Lai expressed his faith that the opening and closing ceremonies he is in charge of organizing “will allow the whole world to witness Taipei's power and strength.”

According to the organizing committee, the 20 events of the Deaflympics will be held in 27 venues scattered around Taipei City and Taipei County, while the swimming events will take place in Hsinchu County and shooting events will be held in Taoyuan County, both in northern Taiwan.

Around 4,000 athletes from 81 countries are expected to compete, according to organizers.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here