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July 14, 2009 6:19 pm

Port city bids to find a global stage

By Robin Kwong, Michael Bruning and Jojo Salcedo

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Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city, this month plays host to the World Games, an Olympic-affiliated event that will draw 3,200 athletes from almost 100 countries.

The games will be the biggest international sporting event ever held in Taiwan and organisers hope the innovative design of its $145m stadium and coverage from global broadcasters such as ESPN and Eurosport will help promote the city of 1.5m people, which is one of the world’s busiest container ports.

The 31 sports featured at the World Games are a motley mix of those demoted from the Olympics or aspiring to be made part of the headline event, such as ultimate frisbee, squash, canoe polo and fistball.

  • The newly-constructed venue, designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, is the world's first eco-friendly stadium. The roof of the $145m facility is covered with more than 8,800 solar panels, which will power 80 per cent of the electricity needed at the venue during the duration of the World Games and help generate excess electricity for Kaohsiung at other times
    The newly-constructed venue, designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, is the world's first eco-friendly stadium. The roof of the $145m facility is covered with more than 8,800 solar panels, which will power 80 per cent of the electricity needed at the venue during the duration of the World Games and help generate excess electricity for Kaohsiung at other times
  • The venue for gymnastics and dance sports competitions, which seats 15,000 spectators, was opened earlier this year. One of the main benefits of hosting the World Games is the upgrading of Kaohsiung's infrastructure. Frank Hsieh, the former mayor who orchestrated Kaohsiung's bid to host the games, said the city 'did not have any venue for more than 2,000 people' prior to the arena's construction
  • The World Games features a variety of sports that are not on the Olympic programme, usually because they are not popular enough globally. While dragon boating has a long tradition in Chinese culture, Thomas Tsai, president of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, said one issue the sport had run into was setting standardised rules on weight and design of the boats for competition
  • Taiwan's second-biggest city grew up around its deep-water harbour and was once a busy port for the country's high-tech exporters. Kaohsiung's shipping industry, however, had gradually lost out to competitors partly because of the lack of direct links between Taiwan and China. Port officials hope the resumption of direct links, which began late last year, will help revive the port
  • This team sport, developed by the Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt, has gained popularity in Taiwan since the 1980s. Defenders in red shirts are waiting to catch the ball, which will be thrown at the frame, to prevent the Italian team from scoring a point. The World Games are an opportunity for many lesser-known sports to raise their international profile
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