Premier Mao Chi-kuo today touted indigenous athletes and the government's training programs for them while accompanying President Ma Ying-jeou to the 2015 National Indigenous Peoples Games in Nantou County.
Taiwan's indigenous peoples have extraordinary athletic talent and repeatedly win awards and honors in major sporting competitions both in Taiwan and overseas, he pointed out.
For example, in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, Bunun athlete Ku Tsui-ping took gold in women's 50-kilogram karate in her debut, while Amis rower Wang Ming-hui won a silver medal in the men's double sculls.
In order to cultivate excellent indigenous athletes, the Ministry of Education runs systematic training programs in seven sports, including track and field as well as taekwondo. The agency uses scientific analysis to evaluate the athletic strengths of different tribes and unearth more talents.
The biennial National Indigenous Peoples Games is a very important sporting competition for all of Taiwan's indigenous tribes and showcases the significance of their traditional folk sport culture, Mao said. The games brought all the nation's indigenous peoples together for athletic competition and cultural exchange.
Mao thanked Nantou County Magistrate Lin Ming-chen for his leadership and the members of the preparatory office for their hard work on the event.