Kaohsiung Mayor, Chen Chu Visits Tokyo to Promote The World Games 2009 in
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
KAOHSIUNG, Mar. 5 /PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet/ --
The Kaohsiung City Government has joined hands with the Kaohsiung Organizing
Committee of the World Games 2009 to make an international announcement for the
upcoming event at the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel in Shinjuku. Mayor Chen Chu
travelled on Thursday March 5th from the International harbor city in the south
of Taiwan, to present a personal letter of invitation to the people of Japan.
Placed in a bottle, and sealed with the World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung logo,
it is literally a "letter in a bottle" that capsules all the aspirations of this
"ocean city." The Japanese media are heartily invited to relay the hospitality
the people of Kaohsiung are ready to show to all Japanese visitors.
The Shinjuku event kicked off at 3pm, hosted by Mr. Segami, a well known
Japanese citizen that has founded a deep relationship with the island while
residing there over the past 20 years. Among the distinguished guests invited to
the occasion were Ms. Ono Kiyoko, president of the JWGA (Japan World Games
Association), Toyo Ito, who designed the World Games 2009's main stadium; Lin
Ching-po, chairman of Fu Tsu Construction Co., Ltd. that built the stadium; Kunio
Watanabe, consultant to Kaohsiung Arena's architectural structuring, and Fumio
Morooka, executive director of the Japan World Games Association. Shunsuke
Nagasaki and Masaki Ito, the Japanese duo who won gold medals for the men's
trampoline event at the World Games 2009's gymnastic warm-up competitions at the
end of 2008, also attended the event. Other than bearing witness to the
architectural accomplishments of the World Games 2009's main stadium and
Kaohsiung Arena, they felt the excitement shared by the international athletic
community in anticipation of the Games itself scheduled to take place July 16-26
in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Mayor Chen Chu said the World Games 2009, will gather more than 5,000
athletes from nearly 100 countries. She extended a hearty welcome to the people
of Japan to join in the excitement expected in the 31 categories of contests, of
which sumo, softball and gymnastics-as well as dance sports and sevens rugby-must
prove of particular interest to them. What's more significant is that the
Kaohsiung games will officially unveil two newly completed landmarks, the World
Games 2009's main stadium and Kaohsiung Arena.
The main stadium of the World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung is a work designed by
Toyo Ito, whose glories in the international architecture community includes the
Architecture Institute of Japan Award for Silver Hut in 1986 and the Golden Lion
for Lifetime Achievement at the 2002 Venice Biennale. He has a long list of
masterpieces in his home country and Europe: Sendai Mediatheque and Tod's
Omotesando Building in Japan, Relaxation Park in Torrevieja, Spain, and
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, just to name a few. The latest addition to
the Japanese master's repertoire, the World Games 2009 main stadium is an
extraordinary example of a melding of athleticism and architecture.
The horseshoe-shaped, open-top spiral structure, with its curved braces and
buttresses, stands out as a unique design readily reminiscent of a flowing river.
Natural ventilation makes air-conditioning redundant and the stadium has an
average 3,300-lux of illumination as there are more solar panels installed on its
roof than any other building in Taiwan. Its annual generation in excess of 1.1
million KW of electricity per hour means the earth can do without 660 tons of
carbon dioxide each year.
Not only is the main stadium the first building in Taiwan to meet local
criteria for green buildings, this stadium capable of seating 40,000 people is
also the only outfit to be certified by the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) as a competent arena for international events. A
well-appointed venue for sports competitions, a paradigm for energy conservation,
and a great place for relaxation, this internationally acclaimed green building
rightly stands on par with the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing.
A challenge to even the most sophisticated of builders, the Kaohsiung Arena
is a mammoth structure made possible by drawing upon the expertise of Japanese
consultant Kunio Watanabe. Above all, construction materials used on the
Kaohsiung Arena are only half those for its counterpart in the capital city, the
Taipei Arena. With a height of 40 meters, equivalent to six floors, it is a well-
appointed modern stadium compliant with the criteria required of Olympic
facilities. This 15,000-seat stadium is perfect for basketball, volleyball and
200-meter indoor athletics among others.
On behalf of the people of Kaohsiung, Mayor Chen Chu welcomed all Japanese
friends with all her heart to join in the festivities during the July 16-26 World
Games in her city. It will be an event marked by sustainability, human rights,
unity and friendship. They not only give cheer to Japanese athletes but also take
a look at the World Games 2009's main stadium and Kaohsiung Arena that have been
accomplished with the assistance from Toyo Ito and Kunio Watanabe.
Mayor Chen Chu noted that Kaohsiung used to be known in the old days as "ta-
kou" in the Fukienese dialect, and fate must have it that Kaohsiung-comprised of
two Chinese characters-happens to be pronounced "ta-kao" in Japanese. She
believed that this inexplicable linkage makes a perfect testament to a
longstanding friendship and bodes well for a most successful World Games 2009 in
Kaohsiung!
KYODO PR
Hiroko FUKUSHIMA
Account Manager£¬Strategic Planning & Consulting Services
Tel: +81-3-3571-5302(TOKYO)
Email: h-fukushima@kyodo-pr.co.jp
ART PR
Grace
General Manager
Tel: +886-2-2708-2678 EXT.13 (Taiwan)
Mobile: +886-932-068-081
Email: cc0923@ms28.hinet.net
SOURCE: The Kaohsiung City Government
Translations:
NEWS 
