Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
World Games proves a tough sell for Taiwan
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After the globe giggled at Athens in 2004 for letting swathes of Olympics seats go empty, organisers of the far more obscure 2009 World Games in equally obscure Taiwan are doing whatever it takes to pack the venues for such unlikely events as billiards and beach handball. Tug-of-war, anyone?
Whatever it takes, in this case, includes selling seats to China. World Games host city Mayor Chen Chu travelled there on Thursday for a four-day visit, intending to sell the 90 percent of events tickets that are unclaimed so far before the curtain goes up on July 16.
Chen is a leading figure in a Taiwan opposition party that wants formal independence for self-ruled Taiwan, which mighty Beijing claims as its own for historical reasons and has threatened to take by force.
But she’s also “realistic and pragmatic,” to quote Taiwan political scientist Andrew Yang. She knows Beijing can use its authoritarian rule to send hordes of travel-hungry Chinese tourists to the World Games, quickly quashing any Athens-style absenteeism.
“You can’t ignore such a large group of the world’s public, and her polls have shown that some people in her city support more contact with China,” said Kou Chien-wen, a politics professor in Taipei.
Chen plans to market the 300,000 World Games tickets and her normally uneventful city Kaohsiung to countries besides China, but who else will have the power or interest in packing her stadiums?
PHOTO: Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu (L) presents an invitation of the 2009 World Games to her Beijing counterpart Guo Jinlong during their meeting in Beijing May 21, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily
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May 22, 2009:
35000 at The World Games Concert in Kaohsiung’s new Main Stadium
http://tinyurl.com/mum2fp
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(Kaohsiung) On May 20th, the Main Stadium of The World Games 2009 had an inauguration concert with more than 35,000 spectators, which was *an unprecedented experience for the local people and the city.*
[...]
[...] The success of the event on Wednesday night made the city of Kaohsiung feel more than ready for the upcoming event in 54 days. *The tickets for the opening ceremony were immediately sold out a day after the concert.*
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May 29, 2009:
Tickets to World Games opening ceremony sold out
http://tinyurl.com/om3hzw
Yeah, it’s just the opening ceremony, but I hope the tickets to the actual events start selling better.
And Ralph, why do you describe Beijing with the positive-sounding term “mighty”? Wouldn’t “bellicose” be more accurate? They do have 1,500 missiles aimed at us here in Taiwan, y’know? Or perhaps “hegemonic”? There are all kinds of better adjectives.
And the phrase “historical reasons” needs another adjective in front: “dubious.” The PRC has never ruled Taiwan, but your wording makes it sound like the DPP wants to declare independence from that foreign government.
Tim Maddog,
A Taiwan Matters blogger
Let’s get an update on that “tough sell,” shall we?
http://tinyurl.com/me7fpj
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Kaohsiung 60% booked
More than 60 percent of the hotel rooms that normally cater to foreign tourists in Kaohsiung City have been booked ahead of the World Games to be held in Kaohsiung City next month, a business source said yesterday. Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), CEO of the Kaohsiung Tourist Hotel Association, said the occupancy rates at eight local tourism hotels are averaging nearly 70 percent over the period from July 13 to July 29, which overlaps with the period when the Games will be held from July 16 to July 26. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate at other hotels in the city also hit approximately 60 percent, Lin said. To support the games, 29 hotels affiliated with the association are offering their rooms at a preferential rate of NT$2,000 per night on average, Lin said, adding that the association is keen to promote tourism in Kaohsiung as the World Games also falls during the peak season for domestic travel.
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Tim Maddog,
A Taiwan Matters blogger