Category：Sports

President Lai gives NT$300K in bonuses to Asian Games athletes

With the 2026 Asian Games set to kick off on Sept. 19, President Lai Ching-te and Sports Minister Lee Yang travelled down to Kaohsiung, where they met with Taiwan’s 481 athletes before the delegation flies to Nagoya, Japan. In addition to waving both Taiwan’s national flag and the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag, President Lai also presented NT$300,000 in bonuses.

President Lai Ching-te headed down to the Taiwan Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung, where he waved the country’s national flag and Olympic flag for athletes, coaches, and support personnel who’ll soon be leaving for the 2026 Asian Games.

Lai presented an oversized check of NT$300,000 in delegation bonuses to B-girl Yang Jia-li and a pillow-sized good luck charm to badminton player Wang Chi-lin.

During the sports tradition where giant straws were drawn from a tall box, Yang pulled out “believe in yourself” and Wang got “relax and give it all you got,” two phrases meant to wish the athletes the best of luck in their events.

Lai Ching-te
President
Relax, give it all you got, and believe in yourself. If you give it your all, you can surpass your own past records.

The 2026 Asian Games begin on the 19th of this month. Taiwan has 481 athletes competing in 38 events, such as badminton, equestrian sports, and weightlifting. The total delegation has 744 members, including the athletes, coaches, medical staff, and other support personnel.

Wang Chi-lin
Badminton athlete
I’ll be taking the president’s words of encouragement with me, and I hope that I can medal on the court of the Asian Games.

Yang Yung-wei
Judoka
I’ve already got every part of my body into the best shape possible. Now I just hope that when I’m training over in Japan that I can make the best final preparations.

Kuo Hsing-chun
Weightlifter
The competition just so happens to be at the same time as the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I’m just really happy; I’m even thinking if I want to take some mooncakes with me. I hope that for this Asian Games that I can lift somewhere around my record in the recent past.

In addition to Lai, the group of well wishers also included the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee’s President Tsai Chia-fu and Vice President Wang Ching-cheng as well as the Republic of China Sports Federation President Yeh Cheng-yen. With the Asian Games on the horizon, all of Taiwan is hoping these athletes will perform their very best.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#AsianGames #TeamTaiwan #LaiChing-te #Japan #Nagoya #481athletes #TeamTaiwan

2026-09-08

Exercising pays off more than ever with free tea eggs and healthy snacks

You can now get tea eggs for getting your sweat on in Taiwan. The Ministry of Sports has kicked off a program that rewards people for doing exercise. All it takes is registering online, and completing weekly tasks that give you NT$50 towards buying healthy snacks at convenience stores. Sports activities that count include clocking in 8,000 steps in one day, or exercising for 30 minutes. The program lasts 14 weeks, so there’s a total of NT$700 up for grabs. Let’s hear more.

Tang Shih-ching
FTV reporter
For some people, exercising feels like torture. But now, it’s another way to get a treat. Complete your weekly tasks, and get cash to indulge in a healthy snack like tea eggs or milk.

Office worker
Wants to exercise
If there’s no incentive, or you don’t have a goal, you’ll just be like “Meh, whatever, I’ll skip the gym today.” So you still need a little motivation.

Local
Exercises already
It’s great. It’s better than nothing, anyway. Of course it’s great that they launched a program like this.

Nini Jeng
E-commerce platform spokesperson
Fitness and exercise is trending, judging from the sales we see in sports-related products, and especially for home workout equipment. Dumbbells, yoga mats, foldable treadmills and steppers have become really popular recently.

A fitness craze is taking over Taiwan, and it could really work out for your wallet. An e-commerce platform is running with it, offering discounts of up to NT$999 on sports equipment. Convenience stores have launched offers in tandem with the government. At Hi-Life, smoothies costing NT$79 and chicken breasts priced at NT$59 can be redeemed without any additional payment. 7-Eleven is also chipping in, adding NT$5 to the government’s NT$50 gift. Meanwhile, FamilyMart is stretching the NT$50 by 6% for a grand total of NT$53.

#exercise #fitness #healthy #wellbeing #conveniencestore #conbini #familymart #7eleven #konbini

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2026-09-01

Minister of Sports calls on CTBA to follow conventional tourney rules

In a normal international sports tournament, a place in the semi-finals is earned by winning many more games than you lose, but at the 45th edition of the William Jones Cup, all Chinese Taipei Blue had to do was… well, be the host team. A new rule for this year’s tournament guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals to Chinese Taipei Blue, which lost five of its six group games, yet somehow it still ended up as the third place team in an eight-team tournament.

- If you aren’t even halfway through a 40-minute game and the other team already has 51 points, you really do have some issues on the defensive end.

It’s not even half-time, but Chinese Taipei Blue is being man-handled by Strong Group Athletics, a team from the Philippines that’s participating in Taiwan’s William Jones Cup. After suffering a 43-point defeat, Chinese Taipei Blue was at the bottom of its group, as it lost five of its six games, yet, it still advanced to the final four because of a tournament rule that guaranteed a semi-final place to Chinese Taipei Blue, the host team. This team from the Philippines was left fuming about not advancing to the semi-finals despite winning five of its six games at the group stage.

-Wow. Is Agee closing his eyes as he shoots this free throw?

By closing his eyes as he shoots from the charity line, is Tajuan Agee, an American on the Philippines’ team, making a statement about the tournament’s design being unfair? On its Instagram page, Strong Group Athletics posted that its dream of winning three straight titles at the William Jones Cup was crushed by a rule that they hadn’t even heard about until they’d landed in Taiwan. The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association emphasized that it had informed the teams in advance about the new rules, but the CTBA’s words did little to calm the ire of the international basketball community.

Lee Yang
Minister of Sports
I’ve been communicating back and forth with the CTBA for the past few days. As for what I think about the changing of the rules for this edition, well, I still would prefer to have the CTBA not go against established norms for an international invitational tournament like this one. We believe that the CTBA will, going forward, commit itself to progress.

Held for the first time in 1977, the William Jones Cup’s 45th edition had a new rule that guaranteed a semi-final spot to Chinese Taipei Blue. A magazine revealed the reason for the strange change was due to pressure involving ticket sales, as the CTBA is dealing with a deficit of NT$50 million.

Lee Yang
Minister of Sports
When it comes to the funds of a few of our sports associations, I think that they all have room for improvement. Every association’s accounting practices need to be clearer and more accurate. I ask every association chairperson and secretary general to control the amount of debt they take on. The Ministry of Sports absolutely will commit itself to following up on these issues, and we’ll be providing guidance to each association.

The Ministry of Sports stated that it had already begun investigating the issue, yet the tournament is just one problem of the CTBA, which is embroiled in controversy.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#TaiwanNo.1 #Philippines #ChineseTaipei #CTBA #basketball #WilliamJonesCup

2026-08-26

Taiwan’s gymnastics team full of confidence for Asian Games

The countdown is on for the 2026 Asian Games, which will kick off next month in Nagoya, Japan. Taiwan will be fielding athletes in many different sports, and one of the key disciplines to watch out for this year is gymnastics. The National Sports Training Center on Wednesday held a media day with the King of the Horizontal Bar Tang Chia-hung, the Prince of the Pommel Horse Lee Chih-kai, and their coach. Tang is considered a strong contender for the gold medal on his return to the Asian Games after an 8-year hiatus. Let’s hear more.

Lin Yu-hsin
Gymnastics Head Coach
As long as Chia-hung stays healthy and executes his routine’s full difficulty, he should definitely be bagging a medal for horizontal bar. It may very well be a gold one, so let’s hope he’s in good health.

Tang Chia-hung
Gymnast
Of course my goal is gold. I’m not going to play it safe. Every competition is a different experience.

Lee Chih-kai
Gymnast
I’m hoping to go for a third consecutive title. It’s all about making history. That’s what makes competition so exciting: making history and breaking records.

Lee has won two gold medals in a row for pommel horse at the Asian Games. But due to an injury that required surgery, he ended up missing out on the Olympics after his back-to-back titles in the Asiad. After two difficult years, he’s finally found his confidence thanks to a bronze at the Asian Championships earlier this year. The Asian Games will be held from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. With Lee and Tang at the helm, Taiwan’s gymnastics team is looking forward to outdoing their previous haul of one gold and two bronzes.

#gymnastics #asiangames #gymnast #gym #pommelhorse #horizontalbar #athlete #athletic #sports

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2026-08-19

Taiwan to host Premier12 and Olympic baseball qualifiers

Big news for baseball fans. Taiwan is set to host two major international tournaments over the next two years. Hot from winning it all in 2024, Taiwan will be hosting the opening round and the super round for the next edition of the Premier12 baseball championship, which will take place in 2027. In addition, the final qualifier for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will also be held in Taiwan. Let’s hear what people think.

Member of public
Happy about news
I think it’s great. As the host country, people from all over the world will come to Taiwan for tourism. Our team will also have support right at home, so they’ll be more motivated.

Member of public
Happy about news
Of course it’s nice. It can increase our visibility worldwide.

Voice of Hsu Wei-chih
Baseball commentator
We have our own cheering style in Taiwan, and our cheerleading culture. People have said it’s worthy of the MLB. We should make sure Team Taiwan plays in the evening, not in the afternoon. Since the CTBA has earned hosting rights, they should give our national team a little advantage.

Tsai Chi-chang
CPBL Commissioner
It’s in great part thanks to Chairman Koo. He overcame every obstacle to secure hosting rights for Taiwan. This gives us home turf advantage, and lets baseball fans come to the games without having to fly overseas.

Hopes are high that Team Taiwan will rise up the ranks once again, to clinch another top class international championship. After all, back in 2024 the road to victory also started at the Taipei Dome. Taiwan won four out of five games in the preliminary round, thanks to the support from fans who came out in droves to cheer for the team. The upcoming baseball events are key for Taiwan, as they both act as qualifiers for the Olympic Games, which Taiwan does not want to miss out on.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#olympicgames #baseball #taipei #taipeidome #homerun #premier12

2026-08-14

Sun Moon Lake is cultivating ride leaders to lead cycling tours

Cycling around Sun Moon Lake in Central Taiwan is always a joy. Now, to enhance cyclists’ experience, the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration is training ride leaders to act as tour guides for groups rides. They will lead tourists cycling on five different scenic routes to help give them an appreciation of the natural beauty and indigenous cultures of Sun Moon Lake. Let’s find out more.

Cycling under the shade of trees with the beautiful scenery of Sun Moon Lake next to you is pure bliss. But do you really know the safest way to cycle?

- If you press the front brake with your right hand, it will tumble and flip over.

If you don’t brake properly, you’ll fall off and get injured. And what you might easily overlook is that getting on and off the bike also requires skill.

- When you need to dismountwhen riding, stand up as if you’re walking upstairs, slow down and dismount slowly.

They are not just cyclists; they will be ride leaders—guides trained by the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration to help fellow riders complete the course safely!

Chu Ying-chang
Sun Moon Lake ride leader coach
While ensuring safety, making participants feel respected and having a pleasant experience, we also want to help our local area by promoting tourism industries.

In addition, the ride leaders will also guide tourists to have a deeper understanding of the natural landscape, share local stories and showcase the tourist attractions of Sun Moon Lake.

Trainee
Sun Moon Lake ride leader training program
This training for ride leaders will equip us with some specialized safety and technical knowledge, so we can provide tourists with a better travel experience.

The Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration will launch bicycle tours guided by these ride leaders. They will take tourists to explore beautiful scenery along five routes. Through these professional ride leaders, tourists can discover hidden gems of Sun Moon Lake and savor them in detail.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwancycling #Taiwantourism #Sunmoonlake #Nantou #centralTaiwan #Taiwanscenery

2026-08-12

Taiwanese baseball fans flock to New York for 22nd MLB Taiwan Day

The New York Mets’ Taiwanese Heritage Day celebrated its 22nd anniversary on July 26, but this year had a special first: Taiwanese-American NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren threw out the first pitch. Lindgren faced stiff competition from two other celebrity pitchers: CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang and Ive vocalist Jang Won-young, a pitcher whose change-up might’ve stolen the hearts of Taiwanese K-pop enthusiasts.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren throws a pitch and CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang hurls another strike. The Taiwanese duo is in Citi Field, home of the New York Nets. But today the Big Apple is full of Taiwanese baseball fans who are wearing Taiwan No. 1 shirts for Taiwanese Heritage Day, which celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year.

Kjell N. Lindgren
Taiwanese-American NASA astronaut
I’m more nervous about throwing out a first pitch than I was ever about launching into space.

Born in Taipei in 1973, Lindgren fulfilled his lifelong dream back in 2015 when he first went into space. Regardless of whether he’s on Planet Earth or in the cosmos, Lindgren has always cherished maintaining his connection to Taiwan.

Kjell N. Lindgren
Taiwanese-American NASA astronaut
Celebrating Taiwan Day for 22 years at Citi Field with the Mets, and I’m excited to be here.

For years Taiwanese fans have called on the MLB to hold games in Taiwan, and even CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang promised he’ll be extending an invite to the world’s biggest professional baseball league.

Tsai Chi-chang
CPBL Commissioner
For Asia, MLB currently only holds regular season games in South Korea and Japan. We have many fans who are looking forward to the day when games might be played in Taiwan. So, I’ll bring this matter up with the MLB’s commissioner.

It may have been Taiwan Day, but Asian neighbor South Korea also had its talent on display in the ballpark. Ive’s Jang Won-young threw the game’s official first pitch.

Jang must’ve practiced her wind-up as well as that coquettish pose for the camera. Overall, it was a great day for Taiwanese baseball fans, who were able to witness Taiwan sports diplomacy blended with a touch of K-pop entertainment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#K-pop #Ive # JangWon-young #KjellLindgren #NASA #MLB #baseball #Mets #NewYork

2026-07-27

Taichung junior-high team wins US baseball tournament

The Taichung Beishi Junior High School baseball team recently won a tournament in San Francisco with a 10-1 victory in the championship game. It was a proud moment for the overseas Taiwanese community, who helped the team celebrate their victory with an American-style barbeque. The tournament was an opportunity for US and Taiwanese youth to build lasting friendships.

A baseball team from the Taichung Municipal Beishi Junior High School cheers as they win a championship game in San Francisco 10-1.

This young team started coming to San Francisco for training and friendly competition two years ago. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang even showed them support during their first visit in 2024. This year they were in the US from July 2 to 15, overcoming their opponents to win the tournament.

Lee Tien-hsun
Team member
I’m so happy! We kept losing the first few games, but in the end, everyone got back in form.

Tai Che-wei
Team member
We finally found our rhythm in the championship game.

Chen Yen-jui
Coach
The students all worked very hard. This is also my first championship since coming to Beishi. I’m so happy, thank you!

The team celebrated their victory with an American-style barbeque. They even joined hands to sing and dance to the Taiwan sports anthem, “Taiwan Strong.”

Lin Hung-tai
School principal
A huge thank you to the overseas Taiwanese community for their support and care for Beishi Junior High! Our English volunteers helped our students improve their English, while the US coaches provided them with technical training based on sports science.

The Beishi Junior High baseball team traveled to the US for training and competition, bringing home the championship. It was a unique chance to hone their skills and broaden their international view.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#TaiwanUS #baseball #exchange #training #tournament #championship #sports #summer #SanFrancisco #Taichung

2026-07-17

Restaurant boss and footie fan gets out flare and gets in trouble

Early this morning, Taipei Expo Park was packed with football fans cheering on Argentina and England during their semi-final match. Argentina came back from one goal down and ended up winning the match in stoppage time. The Taiwanese-Argentine owner of the Argentina-style cuisine restaurant got so excited that he lit a smoke stick. This moment of exuberance might end on a sour note though, as his smoky celebration violates the Social Order Maintenance Act.

Wang Yu-chun
FTV Reporter
With so many people paying attention to the World Cup, this restaurant in Taipei Expo Park is broadcasting the match so that its workers and fans can watch the match together. But who would’ve thought that it’d be the boss who ended up getting into trouble with the law, which all started when he got a bit too excited after his team scored a goal.

Restaurant Cook
Witnessed the smoky spectacle
The boss is a really good person. He works hard at his job, and he comes to work every day. Maybe he did what he did because his country’s team won, so he got pretty excited.

Chan Yu-wei
Yuanshan Police Station, Taipei
Our online police patrol saw videos in our jurisdiction’s Taipei Expo Park where there were people who were using smoke sticks. A large mass of people had gathered at the location to watch a live sports match. Using that kind of smoke stick has the potential to harm others.

All the early morning commotion makes sense considering that there’s an English restaurant located right next to this Argentine eatery. Even though no one was hurt, the police are taking the potentially dangerous actions seriously. This event serves as a reminder that even the most passionate of celebrations need to follow the law.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#thelawisthelaw #Argentina #WorldCup #England #smoke #TaipeiExpoPark

2026-07-16

482 athletes to compete for Taiwan at Asian Games in Nagoya

The Asian Games will be taking place in Nagoya this year, starting on Sept. 19. Taiwan has already put together a national team, which features some of the country’s top sports stars. The roster includes tennis aces Hsieh Su-wei and Chan Hao-ching as well as badminton stars Chou Tien-chen and Wang Chi-lin. Also going to Japan will be Olympic gold medalist boxer Lin Yu-ting and heartthrob judoka Yang Yung-wei. At a presser on Tuesday, Minister of Sports Lee Yang offered words of encouragement to all the competitors, and had a special message for his former badminton doubles partner. Let’s hear what he said.

Seeing most of the athletes competing in this year’s Asian Games… I, of course, have to especially mention Wang Chi-lin. It seems that for him, every Asian Games run marks a farewell with his latest doubles partner. I hope that we can provide the best logistical support to every athlete, coach, and delegation member. That’s the most important thing for a competitive athlete. No matter what the results may be, it is our ministry’s duty to stand behind each of them and offer them our support.

Team Taiwan managed to bag 19 gold medals at the previous Asian Games, tying its best-ever showing. But Lee did not set a target for the upcoming edition, saying that he did not want to put any additional and unnecessary pressure on the athletes. Instead, he said, he just wants to be their strongest source of support. All in all, 482 athletes will be heading to Nagoya, to compete in 34 sports.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#sports #asiangames #competition #leeyang #ministryofsports

2026-07-14