WOA welcomes Chinese Taipei membership application

16 | 1 | 2018

Chinese Taipei has launched a National Olympians Association (NOA) to serve its Olympic alumni and celebrate the role of Olympians in society.

With the full support of Chinese Taipei’s National Olympic Committee and NOC President LIN Hong-Daw, the NOA will help ensure Olympians remain connected with the wider Olympic Family, while providing opportunities for them to engage with and give back to their communities.

The launch event to mark the opening of the new NOA in Taipei City was led by new NOA President Antonnio ONG Ming-Yih OLY, a double Olympian who competed in biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Winter Games.

“We are delighted and proud to launch the Chinese Taipei NOA to help enhance the support provided to Olympians at all stages of their lives,” said Antonnio ONG Ming-Yih. “Being an Olympian means being a role model and acting in a way that helps spread the ideals of Olympism. We hope we can provide a platform that assists Olympians to carry out this important responsibility, as well as a pathway for them to retain a meaningful connection with the sport and Olympic movement.”

The NOA aims to provide ongoing support for Olympians through a mix of fund-raising projects and state funding. It is also in touch with a number of public welfare programmes such as the Taiwan Foundation of Rare Disorders, the Agency of Corrections and the Ministry of Justice, to encourage Olympians to share positive examples from their own personal experiences of overcoming adversity to achieve success in the sporting arena.

Chinese Taipei is applying for formal membership to WOA and their application will be considered at the next WOA General Assembly, which will take place after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Athens 2004 Olympian and WOA’s Asia continental representative, Dr Malav Shroff OLY (Sailing, India), added:

“We have been working hard in the region and globally to reinforce the goals of the WOA with our members to help create new avenues of support for Olympians and develop greater integration with NOCs. We wish our newest NOA the best of luck as it begins its important role within Chinese Taipei’s sporting infrastructure and look forward to working closely with them in the future.”