A 2016 recipient of the prestigious Olympia trophy, sports administrator Wu Ching-kuo is like a beacon in a tumultuous international environment. Wu is president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). On the eve of the Universiade, he offers up insightful observations and practical strategies on Taiwan’s current and future hosting of international sports events.

Wu Ching-kuo traveled to Russia to promote “peace through sport” at the World Series of Boxing. (courtesy of IOC Member's Office, Taipei)

The far-reaching influence of sports

Hosting international sports events often entails grappling with unforeseen issues and obstacles. During the 2014 World Series of Boxing, for example, Ukraine and Russia were on the verge of a crisis over Crimea, and their mutual distrust made athletic cooperation difficult. “I immediately flew to Moscow and told the minister of sport that he had to welcome the Ukrainian athletes, and that if he didn’t I would have to withdraw their right to organize the event,” Wu recounts. “When both sides agreed to respect fundamental sporting principles, things ultimately went off without a hitch.”

After Wu’s repeated efforts to calm tensions, the two countries put aside their differences and agreed to honor travel documents, ensure security and meet other requirements that allowed for mutual participation and enabled the tournament to proceed.

Wu believes deeply in the concept of “peace through sport.” This has underpinned many international sporting competitions, such as the AIBA’s 2011 World Boxing Championships held in Azerbaijan. The host country not only welcomed the participation of competitors from Armenia, a country with which it had a longstanding enmity, but also took the opportunity to express its goodwill by providing accommodations, security personnel, and even telephones for athletes to communicate with family members. “You are my competitor, not my enemy. This is the idea we must strengthen,” Wu says.

In 1978 Wu Ching-kuo brought England’s Milton Keynes All-Stars basketball team to Taiwan to play in the annual William Jones Cup. (courtesy of IOC Member’s Office, Taipei)

Sports as a national unifier

Respect lies at the heart of Olympic ideals, because without it there can be no coexistence. From that respect, friendship can grow, and the next step is the pursuit of excellence. The competition, embrace, and ultimate transcendence of differences that occur during athletic competitions are the embodiment of the Olympic spirit.

The media also plays a key role in cultivating interest and solidarity among the public, says Wu. If people are to have a spontaneous enthusiasm for sports, beyond the role of education in instilling a sporting ethos, the media needs to treat sports news as important in its own right, not just as secondary stories.   

The 2000 Sydney Olympics, for example, was one of the most successful in Olympic history. Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC president at the time, couldn’t have been happier with its success. “Why? Because people didn’t need to be encouraged to watch the games; they just followed their passions and poured into the stands,” Wu says. He hopes that media coverage of athletic competitions in Taiwan will focus on the sport itself and not just political topics.

As for the government, whether at the national or the local level, there should be a single purpose—to highlight Taiwan’s strengths. Both the public and the government should seek to express this in thought and action.

The 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung was praised as one of the most successful in the event’s history. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

Raising Taiwan’s profile through sports

The 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung were the first large-scale comprehensive sporting event organized in Taiwan. They received high praise from Ron Froehlich, president of the International World Games Association, and were acclaimed as one of the most successful World Games in the event’s history. “The major sporting events we have held in the past, including the World Games, have proven that we have the capability to hold such events. But with so much competition to host the events, we have to compete fiercely to get to stage them in Taiwan,” Wu says earnestly.

By letting sporting competitions be just about sport, and keeping politics out of the equation, we can play to our own strengths and gain international approval. For example, Hsu Shu-ching­, an Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting, has spoken to the international community through her accomplishments. This is the best kind of international publicity.

Raising national awareness for sports, however, is not something that can be done overnight. Taiwan first competed to hold Asian regional sporting events and then bid for international events. Through the efforts of the government and the media, Taiwan can gradually cultivate public interest in particular sports. The Taipei Universiade will rely on the media both to spread the word about the various international competitors and the performance of Taiwan’s athletes, and to showcase Taiwan by highlighting the athletic spirit shown by both government and the populace.

The 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung was praised as one of the most successful in the event’s history. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)

Taiwan’s baseball team won the silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. （courtesy of IOC Member’s Office, Taipe）