Diversified applications of sports culture to preserve precious sports memories
The development of national sports power and culture is based on the overall society's shared identification with sports, and relies on the preservation, inheritance and promotion of sports culture. The Sports Administration (SA) is committed to promoting the preservation of Taiwan's sports culture. Basic work such as cultural relic inventory and digital collection has left precious sports memories for us all and further promoted the people's identification with and sense of belonging to sports. The Sports Culture Digital Collection Project was launched in 2017 (the 5th phase has been handled), and the Sports Cultural Relics Inventory Project was launched in 2021 (the 2nd phase has been handled). Through cultural relic inventory, digital collection and related applications, diverse value of sports culture has been created.
Sports culture belongs to the common memory of all citizens. Preserving sports memories and discovering moving stories drives the development of sports culture and creative industries. In terms of promotion results, 105 interviews with sports figures and more than 1,200 cultural relics have been digitized and 2 storytelling videos (Olympic Dreams of Taiwanese Athletes in the Japanese Era: Chen Qi-chuan’s First Challenge, Lin Yue-yun’s Three Jump Challenges and Women’s Sports Competition Untying the Footbinding Strips), and 1 digital exhibition (Taiwanese Heroes on the Sports Field - Taiwan’s Outstanding Women Athletes) and other related value-added applications have been completed; the results are publicly displayed on the sports digital collection platform (https://iweb.sa.gov.tw/).
In addition, the setting of the principles for classification and grading of sports cultural relics and the manual for inventory of sports cultural relics were simultaneously completed to provide a basis for relevant inventory work, and precious cultural relics scattered throughout the country inventoried to preserve precious sports material culture and expand the connotation of cultural and historical materials.
The SA combined the experience and achievements in promoting the preservation of sports culture over the years, with the theme of "Dazzling the World", and organized a physical exhibition at the 2023 Taiwan Sports Industry Expo to present the achievements of Taiwan's athletes in the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics, Asian Games, Asian Paralympics, and Universiade with the outstanding performance and touching stories displayed. The exhibits included game peripherals (such as torches, mascots, entrance clothing, peripheral merchandise, etc.), as well as medals, equipment, small items, etc. of many athletes. Highlights of the events were played on site, reproducing the glory of Taiwan’s athletes through text, images, objects, videos, etc. It also displayed the winning works of the "Women in Sports Photography Exhibition" and the "Strongest Backing" (showing the Golden Plan, national training center construction, sports science establishment, athlete care, and policy support), and had a "Glory Forever" audio-visual area to play audio and video interviews with 20 senior sports officials, including government, continuing to pass on the unremitting spirit of the sports predecessors.
The SA stated that it will continue to hold sports culture preservation briefings in the future to highlight the importance of sports culture preservation, enhance cultural preservation awareness of local governments, associations, schools and other units, and guide relevant units to take the initiative to inventory existing cultural relics. All units are welcome to join the ranks of sports culture preservation and expand promotion benefits. In addition, it also combines cross-field resources to bring the results closer to the public. The SA also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the National Taiwan Museum of History on January 31 this year to jointly declare cooperation in the fields of sports culture research, collections, exhibitions, education, etc. and plans to organize a physical exhibition in conjunction with the Nagoya Asian Games issue in 2026 to showcase the results of cooperation between the two parties.
Sports in Taiwan have a long tradition and are memories shared by the people The SA will continue to deepen people’s feelings for and identification with sports through basic cultural preservation work, and demonstrate sports’ irreplaceable value in society. The follow-up work will focus on deepening the application of sports culture and history, translating sports cultural issues through multiple forms, allowing the public to understand and absorb and achieve resonance, creating the diverse value of sports, and promoting the development of sports cultural and creative industries.
