According to the Sports Current Situation Survey conducted in 2022 by the Sports Administration, the proportion of Taiwanese people participating in sports has reached 81.8%, with the number of people engaged in indoor sports on the rise. To continue to promote sports for all and national health, under The Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program-Urban and Rural Projects-Program for Enhancing the National Sports Environment, the Sports Administration has invested approximately NT$3 billion to subsidize the building of 21 civic sports centers by county and city governments. They are expected to be completed by 2025 and will provide the public with more convenient and safe sports venues.
The Sports Administration stated that Civic Sports Centers are based on the previous model of promoting the construction of Civil Sports Centers; local governments are encouraged to utilize existing idle space or vacant land to build Civic Sports Centers to meet the needs of the people for indoor sports. The establishment standard for establishing Civic Sports Centers is looser than for Civil Sports Centers. The basic requirement for applying to establish a Civil Sports Center is an administrative district with a population of more than 150,000. However, the application requirement for Civic Sports Centers is that administrative districts with a population of more than 70,000 can apply for a subsidy; the policy aims to balance urban and rural development and consider people's sports needs and rights in various regions. In addition, the Sports Administration will also provide guidance to county and city governments to complete the contract signing process with operators before completion in accordance with the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects and other regulations, so that Civic Sports Centers can operate sustainably.
The Sports Administration further points out that the sports facilities in Civic Sports Centers can be planned by the county and municipal governments based on the needs of the local people. They are also combined with sports facilities such as new-type gyms, yoga or aerobics classrooms, all-age physical training grounds, and multiple-use courts and are sports venues that can meet the needs of diverse groups. For example, Taichung City's Wuri District Civic Sports Center has specially planned a children's sports area and a physical training ground for all ages; Kaohsiung City's Sanmin District Civic Sports Center will also have a children's muscle endurance room and a croquet court suitable for the elderly. In addition to showing local characteristics, the all-age and multi-faceted sports spaces will give the public a new sports experience.
The Sports Administration stated that due to the impact of the international pandemic and inflation in recent years, contracting out of projects has become a difficult task. However, with the tireless efforts of central and local governments, most Civic Sports Centers have entered the construction stage; the Sports Administration will also actively handle the construction quality inspection to ensure that each venue can be completed on schedule and with high quality, providing high-quality sports venues that meet specifications. The current progress statistics of Civic Sports Center show that 17 projects are under construction, 3 projects are at the contracting stage and 1 project at the planning and design stage; more than 80% of the Civic Sports Centers have entered the construction stage. For counties and cities where progress is delayed, the Sports Administration will also strengthen the guidance mechanism so that, after the completion and opening of the new 21 Civic Sports Centers, together with the 57 Civil Sports Centers already completed previously, people will be given a better and more friendly sports environment, implementing the "facilitation of sports space" to enhance the habit of regular exercise through the nation.