2017 SU Torch Relay comes to the end of its LOVE Route across Chinese Taipei

KEELUNG – After the completion of the L, O and V parts of the route, the final stop of the E part of the relay, which began on 4 August, was held in Keelung City on 8 August. The torch relay followed a LOVE shaped route as it linked 22 counties and cities across Chinese Taipei.

Taipei’s torchbearer Xue-Li Xu (Gold in women’s singles tennis at the 1997 SU) started the Keelung City torch relay at the Maritime Plaza

Keelung City torch relay was held at Maritime Plaza. Taipei Universidad Organizing Committee (TUOC) attached great importance to this part of the Universidad torch relay and invited Taipei Deputy Mayor Chia-Chi Tang to lead Taipei’s torchbearer Xue-Li Xu, on behalf of Taipei City Mayor Wen-Je Koi, as she passed the torch, representing Love and Peace, to Yong-Fa Lin, Keelung Deputy Mayor. Xu is currently a national Grade A tennis coach and won a gold medal in the women’s tennis team event at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok and another gold medal in women’s singles tennis at the 1997 Sicily Universiade. Her previous success, including a gold medal at the previous Universiade, made her a perfect torchbearer for this year’s Universiade torch relay. Yong-Fa Lin received the torch on behalf of Keelung City and he then passed it to Qin-Ming Yu, President of Keelung City Sports Association. Taipei City deputy mayor Chia-Chi Teng stated that the Universiade is the highest level of international sports event Chinese Taipei has ever staged. Keelung City is very close to Taipei and is a good neighbor, Teng said. On behalf of Taipei Mayor Wen-Je Ko, he warmly invited the people of Keelung to attend the Universiade’s opening and closing ceremonies and the various sports competitions to feel the exciting atmosphere and see the display of sporting spirit firsthand! Yong-Fa Lin said that although Keelung itself doesn’t have any athletes taking part in Taipei Universiade, the city has always made a big effort to develop sport and will certainly not be absent from this grand occasion. He also wished Chinese Taipei athletes a great success.

 Taipei City Deputy Mayor Chia-Chi Tang helped light up the torch for Keelung City Deputy Mayor Yong-Fa Lin

The relay started from Maritime Plaza. After passing through Eagle Plaza, the route ended at the intersection of Zhongzheng Road and Yi 1st Road, where the torch was handed back to Taipei’s torchbearer Xue-Li Xu, bringing the relay to a smooth end. Maritime Plaza is a real wood platform inside Keelung Harbor, of which there are many sets of wooden reef rocks and wave-shaped landscape artworks, emitting strong ocean charm. It is ingeniously joined to downtown attractions by a glass scenic bridge of the kind rare in Chinese Taipei and is an important cultural tourism attraction. Keelung’s torchbearers included the director of Keelung City Sports Association Qin-Ming Yu, President of the Federation of Keelung City Parent Associations Jin-Xiong Li, and Wen-Qian Wu, a teacher at Zhongshan Senior High School. Wu has won quite a few marathon titles and represented Chinese Taipei at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the marathon, his previous success at a high level making him an ideal torchbearer for Taipei Universiade.

President of the Federation of Keelung City Parent Associations Jin-Xiong Li as the city’s 3rd torchbearer, running through the Maritime Plaza

(Source: OC Taipei 2017)