A sporting country
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Taiwan won 7 medals, including two golds, one in badminton and a second in women's boxing under 57 kg. Taiwan will host the World Masters Games 2025 (WMG2025) from May 17 to 30, 2025. Organized every four years, this international sports competition event will be held in the Taiwanese capital and will feature 35 sporting disciplines. It will also provide an opportunity to showcase Taiwan's culture and tourism sector.
Tai-chi and baseball, favorite sports
Tai-chi. This martial art is very popular in Taiwan and is part of everyday life. Early in the morning, late at night or at weekends, tai-chi is practiced collectively in public places, by all age groups. Once you know the translation of tai-chi, "shadow boxing" or "boxing of the absolute", there's no need to try and unravel the mystery of this incredible choreography. With extreme concentration, participants perform strange, slow, decomposed circular movements that date back to ancient times. It was in the 14th century, under the Yuan dynasty, that the exercise first saw the light of day. Its function is to combine three techniques: breathing, concentration and meditation, in order to channel qi gong, or the breath of life, whose central point is the abdomen. Once the energy is concentrated, the nei gong, or life force, can be spread throughout the body. Around the National Memorial to Doctor Sun Yat-sen, the Chiang Kai-shek National Memorial or in Taipei's Peace Park, tai-chi practitioners are numerous and, for the uninitiated, a sight just as exotic as the monuments that welcome them. The first ones arrive at 6 a.m. and invite anyone to join them.
Baseball. Baseball, now Taiwan's favorite sport, has a long history behind it. Imported by the Japanese in the early 20th century, it began to gain momentum in 1930, when the local team inflicted its first defeat on the colonists. In the 1960s, the first of Taiwan's 17 world championship titles created a tidal wave of interest in the game. Gradually, baseball became more professional, and in 1990 the CPBL (Chinese Professional Baseball League), the first pro league, was created.
An immediate success, the CPBL was quickly copied and a parallel league, the TML (Taiwan Major League), was created in 1997. In the late 1990s, baseball's image was tarnished by match-fixing. The organization of the 34th Baseball World Cup in 2001 enabled the sport to win back the hearts of the Taiwanese people. The CPBL and TML agree to merge in 2003. The island's largest baseball stadium is located in Tienmou, on Shidong Road. It can accommodate over 10,000 people.
On water or land, there's plenty to do!
Water sports. Surrounded by water and bathed by rivers and lakes, Taiwan could not escape the development of aquatic pleasures. Even if the national enthusiasm for water sports is still low, thrill-seekers will find plenty to enjoy. Surfing, diving, snorkeling and rafting are just some of the activities on offer.
Put simply, the north is a surfer's paradise and the south a snorkeler's paradise. Kenting National Park in the south of the island is famous for its water sports, particularly diving, as a magnificent coral forest thrives in the peninsula's waters. Another diver's paradise is Green Island on the east coast, known for its coral reefs and clear waters all year round.
On the gliding side, the Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait is very popular with windsurfers. In the north, an exceptional site for surfers, the best waves are seen in summer, before or after a typhoon, and during the monsoons. Honeymoon Bay is the best place to "feel the wave". On the other hand, rafting is not recommended after a typhoon, as it causes the rivers to swell abnormally. The rafting season runs from April to October. Two rivers are ideal for rafting: the Shiouguluan in the east and the Laonong in the south. Near Taipei, you can try your hand at rafting in Yangmingshan National Park.
Golf. Like many Asians, the Taiwanese love golf. There are over 80 golf courses on the island's 36,000 km². Given Taiwan's topography, these can be forest, coastal or mountain courses. The five most famous golf courses are all within an hour's drive of Taipei. They are Lao Ye, Miramar in Ling Kou, Kuo Hwa, Ta Shee and Sunrise in Taoyuan. Note that this sport is more expensive in Taiwan than in France.
Cycling. Cycling has developed considerably in recent years, and those who don't mind hot weather or steep hills will be delighted by the superb scenery. Numerous circuits and cycle paths are now available.
A little-known must for mountaineering and hiking
Hiking is available all over the island. Taiwanese love weekend hikes, and the options are endless. While many trails are accessible from Taipei by metro or bus, it's in the national parks that hiking is naturally most popular. Beware, however, of the many mosquitoes and snakes.
There are several hundred mountaineering and hiking clubs and associations on the island, and a dozen peaks in excess of 3,000 metres. The most important of these is Mount Jade or Yushan. The number of hikers is increasing every year, but the mentality is not yet entirely familiar with mountain hiking. Why not? Mountains have long been a scary place. In the last century, clashes between Han and aborigines were commonplace. And for a long time, these lands remained forbidden zones, especially during the Japanese presence (1895-1945).
Today, to climb Mount Yushan, you need a permit, which you can obtain from the Alpine Association of the Republic of China. For lesser summits, a permit must be obtained from the police authorities responsible for the summit. Communication about this activity is still limited by a lack of enthusiasm, and many enthusiasts are unaware that Taiwan is an exceptional mountaineering destination.
