Taipei, New Taipei to host World Masters Games 2025
2020/12/14
Taipei City and New Taipei City will jointly host the World Masters Games in 2025, with around 15,000 athletes from 110 countries and territories set to compete in 32 sports during a two-week period.
During a press conference held in Taipei, Mayor Ko Wen-je said it has been the local government’s long-term goal to build the metropolis into a sports city through athletic training and upgrading facilities for baseball, road bicycle racing and other popular sports.
Following the success in organizing the 2009 Deaflympics and 2017 Summer Universiade, the 11th edition of the WMG will be another recognition of Taipei’s capabilities in hosting global sporting events and is expected to help the city with its bid to stage the Gay Games in 2026, he added.
Echoing Ko’s remarks, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih said the more than 40,000 athletes and accompanying staff set to visit Taiwan during the event makes it a great opportunity to promote the two host cities on the world stage.
The two governments will work closely with counterparts in Taoyuan City as well as Hsinchu and Yilan counties to ensure the games are a triumph, he added.
President Tsai Ing-wen also delivered a video address for the occasion, saying that the central government will offer any support necessary to ensure the best WMG in history, fulfilling the goal of “Sports for All.”
According to the International Masters Games Association, the Taiwan cities beat Paris and Perth on the back of Taipei’s previous experience hosting the Universiade. The selection will help the organization continue to grow the games’ international following while introducing the beauty of Taiwan.
Organized by Switzerland-based IMGA and first held in Toronto in 1985, the quadrennial WMG is the world’s largest multi-sport event in terms of participation numbers. The games are open to all individual or team athletes meeting minimum age requirements for their competition.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
