There’s one more thing that added to the vibrancy of Taipei City this year. The Universiade, which was held here in Taipei in August, brought together competitors from all over the world. This was the 29th chapter of an event that mainly draws competitors from universities across the globe. This year, the excitement was high in Taipei as residents opened their arms to usher in these young, energetic sportsmen and women.

The Universiade is an event to ignite your enthusiasm when mentioned, but this year the excitement was at an all-time high due to several factors: the fabulous hosts and dedicated organizers at Taipei, the charged spectators and lastly, of course, the sporting competitors.

The News

We enjoyed the amazing show of athletic skill demonstrated by the world’s young, talented sports people. Congratulations to the teams from Japan and Korea for scoring so well in the medals tables, and of course we are proud that our home-grown talent here in Taipei produced such wonderful performances. The attention was deserving due to the electrifying performances by the entertainers on the list. The opening and closing ceremonies almost translated to a mini-competition in their own right as performers showcased their prowess, and guess who benefited the most? The spectators – the way it ought to be.

Opening

The opening ceremony will remain memorable, especially for the happenings in the stadium during the welcome event. Even the unfolding drama when athletes were blocked by demonstrators from gaining access to the venue never elicited the much-needed attention, as it was dwarfed by the subsequent events in the stadium – every town has its madmen though. The demonstrators failed miserably to stop athletes from accessing the 23,000 stadia as they advocated for pension reforms.

Though the demonstrations made a half an hour delay to the start of the event, the athletes were received warmly by the charged, boisterous crowds once inside, where they began by parading their nations. When Chinese Taipei athletes took the stage, the stadium went into a frenzy receiving a standing ovation at the end. Everything else fell into place, the performances by the traditional dancers, the appearances by the Chinese Taipei sports heroes, and to sum it all up, the assurances by the FISU President who reminded the crowds that

“sometimes, the best things are worth waiting for”

(Source: taiwannews.com).

Closing

The closing ceremony was equally spectacular, characterized with pomp and color as the chanting crowds were entertained by a number of cultural performances, with athletes bidding them goodbye. The highlight of the ceremony was brought by Mr. Oleg Matysin, the FISU president, who took time to praise the athletes. He reminded them that they are stars, the way the performances were inspiring, and encouragingly, he suggested that they ought to take a piece of Taipei with them as they leave for their home countries. He also concluded with a voice of reason telling them how the people of Taipei will remain in their hearts for a long time.

Attendance

There were many dignitaries who came to grace the occasion and whose contributions cannot go without mention. The mayor of Taipei Wen-Je Ko was in attendance and gave a welcoming speech. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee inspired the athletes by playing a video of his participation in the Universiade while a student, where he participated in 1973 in Moscow and in Mexico City in the 1979 games. These are just a couple of names worth a mention

The Performance

Much happened on the trucks with athletes pulling one of its kind performances, at the end, new records were set, the spectators cheered their iconic heroes pushing their vocal cords to the limit, and a fantastic total of 273 medals awarded.

It was an event of its kind, 11 days full of adrenaline, excitements, ululations and a few disappointments here and there, but no regrets. Truly August 19th to 30th will forever remain memorable. We can only wait in earnest for the next set of excitement for the 30th edition which will require a lot of hard work to beat the Taipei 2017 performances.

Additional LGBT Aspect

Young Perps Caught

The Universiade has been a big success for all people coming from Taipei LGBT communities because there was simultaneous launch of the well-prepared project called YoungPerps Caught. It basically features the fantasy series of shoplifters (young males) getting their punishment. This funny, yet strictly adult-related content has been welcomed with many great comments. As you can see the sport competition can often be on par with adult entertainment!