TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) underscored the importance of sportsmanship and international camaraderie during the flag presentation ceremony for the World Games 2025 Chengdu, on Friday (July 25). President Lai presented the flag on behalf of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (中華奧會) and the Sports Administration (體育署), Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部).
During the ceremony, President Lai highlighted Taiwan's growing prowess in international competitions, mentioning the successes in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, and the Tokyo World Baseball Classic.
President Lai expressed confidence in the 119 athletes set to compete in 14 events, urging citizens to support them. He emphasized the Sports Administration's role in providing training funds, equipment, logistics support, and stipends, alongside collaboration with the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to ensure coaches and athletes travel in comfort. He also announced the establishment of the "Ministry of Sports" (運動部) on Sept. 9, National Sports Day, as a testament to the government's commitment to sports development and athlete training.
The 12th World Games will occur in Chengdu, China, from Aug. 7 to 17. On the one hand, a day earlier, President Lai criticized the incident regarding two Chinese officials who attempted to seize the congratulatory message for the Chinese Taipei taekwondo team, which won a silver medal at the Rhine-Ruhr Universiade on July 23.
