“WBSC Premier 12” was the most popular among the 12 selected Taiwan International Sports Events

In 2020, most international sports events in Taiwan have been unable to be held as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To revisit the touching scenes of “Fun Sports in Taiwan”, the Sports Administration held the “Fun Sports Award Online Voting” that looked back on the splendid sports events held in Taiwan for the past two years. Members of the public were asked to visit the Fun Sports in Taiwan Facebook fanpage during the period of July 23 to August 5, in order vote for the three most popular and distinctive sports events from the 12 selected Taiwan international sports events chosen by the judges. At the same time, organizers of sports events were encouraged to build Taiwan-brand sports events to show the world Taiwan’s soft power and then encourage citizens to continue to support international sports events held in Taiwan and to have fun watching and doing sports.

Taiwan holds more than 100 international sports events annually. To highlight the core value of Taiwan-brand sports events, the Sports Administration invited the judging panel to choose 12 selected international sports events from 30 events with potential using the indicators of marketing, broadcasting, participation and economy; these included MVP Event, events with a certain scale, audience and Taiwan image, that create economic benefits and can represent Taiwan internationally and have most value; Outstanding Event, events that have MVP Event Potential; and New Star Event, events that nurture junior athletes or that have been held fewer than three times and have performed outstandingly well.

The results were announced on August 7 on the Fun Sports in Taiwan Facebook fanpage. After two weeks of enthusiastic voting that saw over 11,000 votes received, WBSC Premier 12 was the most popular, with Taipei Open (badminton) and Taipei Marathon in second and third place, respectively.

The Sports Administration stated that the “Fun Sports Award Online Voting” linked people, places and sporting life together. The praise in the comments received by each international sports event is the expression of vocal support for people’s favorite international sports events, while also showing people’s affirmation and support for the events. Let’s hope this enthusiasm continues and everyone has fun watching and doing sports. For more information on “Fun Sports in Taiwan”, please visit the Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/huntSportsinTaiwan/