At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Su Tseng-chang received an Office of Science and Technology briefing on an action plan to boost Taiwan's sports industry through science and technology. The application of science in sports shows great potential for development and will improve the performance of Taiwanese athletes, the premier said. Thursday's action plan will thus allocate an estimated NT$4.6 billion (US$154.5 million) over five years to accelerate the promotion of sports science, upgrade the competitiveness of top athletes, and spur the rise of Taiwan's sports technology industry.
Taiwan has been demonstrating exceptional achievement in recent international sports competitions, giving its best showing at the 2018 Asian Games in 20 years and winning 12 medals in its finest Olympic Games performance ever in Tokyo in 2021. Furthermore, Taiwanese athletes in sports such as badminton, table tennis and boxing have also delivered impressive results at several individual sporting contests.
The government is the biggest supporter of national athletes, Premier Su said. Taiwan's sports budget jumped from NT$8 billion (US$247.5 million) in 2016 to more than NT$13 billion (US$436.5 million) in 2022, and nearly NT$10 billion (US$335.8 million) has been devoted to the second and third phases of the National Sports Training Center project to offer the athletes a more professional and comfortable training and rest environment. In May, the Executive Yuan also proposed an act for the establishment of a national sports science center to serve as a dedicated organization engaging in research and applications of sports science.
Merging sports and science can unlock powerful potential synergies and is vital to improving the performance of Taiwan's athletes, the premier said. As the pandemic continues to drive the proliferation of online and virtual training technologies, this sports and technology action plan will endeavor to boost professional competitive abilities, enhance people's health and recreational experiences, and promote industrial transformation.