President Lai presents flag to Team Taiwan ahead of Paralympics

2024/08/27

President Lai Ching-te presented a team flag to Paralympic athletes at the Sports Administration Aug. 23 in Taipei City, urging them to represent their country with courage and honor at the Paris Paralympic Games.
 
On behalf of the government and people, Lai thanked the athletes for their commitment and rigorous training over the years in preparation for the global event. The dedication and services of the accompanying coaches, trainers, and logistics and administrative staffers are also sincerely appreciated, he added.
 
According to the president, the SA, National Sports Training Center, Taiwan Institute of Sports Science and Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee are sparing no effort to ensure that the athletes receive the best meal arrangements, physical therapy and training in Paris.
 
Lai said some of the new government measures that prepared athletes for the 2024 Paralympics include launching a dedicated plan to provide the best resources and services; moving the athletes to the NSTC to offer them better access to the most comprehensive training; and increasing the reward for gold medalists to NT$6 million (US$188,000) and the coaching team to NT$800,000, Lai added.
 
The president said that building Taiwan into a sports powerhouse is a major policy goal that he plans to bring about through the establishment of a ministry of physical education and sports development. Promoting sports to the public, boosting the sports industry and ensuring sports equality for all are key to Lai’s vision of helping more athletes pursue their dreams on the global stage.
 
According to the SA, 13 athletes will contest archery, athletics, badminton, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and powerlifting at the quadrennial games taking place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in the French capital. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)