Taiwan’s modest Asian Games tally

Led by Taekwondo athlete Wang Chieh-ling (王婕菱) as the flag bearer at the closing ceremony for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, the Taiwanese team — which competed as “Chinese Taipei” (TPE) — entered the stadium after Syria and before Tajikistan. The teams were filed in in alphabetical order, with Taiwan going in at “T” instead of “C.”

The Taiwanese team gleaned a modest five golds, 17 silvers and 33 bronzes, the first time since the 2006 Doha Asian Games that its number of gold medals failed to reach double digits. It also set a new low since winning only seven golds at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games.

The performance served as a warning sign to Taiwan’s sports development. However, the two biggest surprises were the gold medals in high jump and swimming. Although Taiwan took home 14 fewer gold medals than the last time, falling from sixth place to 15th in the medal tally, track-and-field athlete Fu Zhao-xuan (傅兆玄) claimed victory in the men’s high jump — Taiwan’s first gold in men’s track and field since the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games, while swimmer Eddie Wang (王冠閎) claimed victory in the men’s 200m butterfly event — the nation’s first gold in men’s swimming.

Logistics support for Taiwanese athletes was also highly praised. The Asian Games ran into one problem after another, such as accommodation, transportation and schedules. Even the supply of food was a mess. However, Taiwanese athletes remained unaffected, with many praising the logistics center set up by the Ministry of Sports.

After winning gold in women’s 60kg boxing, Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) expressed her gratitude to the logistics team.

Former World No. 1 golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) after winning a women’s team bronze said that compared with her previous solo efforts in professional tournaments, the logistics team’s support allowed everyone to focus on the competition without any worries.

The talent gap between generations is testing Minister of Sports and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lee Yang (李洋). While the logistics support received recognition from Taiwanese athletes, the unsatisfactory performance was undeniable. Many veteran stars on the team are 30 or older, such as Tseng, 37; Lin, 31; tennis player Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇), 40; weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳), 33; and gymnast Lee Chih-kai (李智凱), 30.

The “golden generation” that secured medals in the past two Asian and Olympic Games have been the backbone of Taiwan’s sports for more than a decade. However, as they enter the later stages of their glorious careers, the talent gap they leave behind is perhaps the biggest concern for Taiwan’s competitive sports.

How to deepen grassroots development, cultivate more talented athletes and enhance their competitive strength internationally are the greatest challenges for Lee and his ministry.