Taiwan's new sports ministry expected to start next year
台灣新運動部預計明年成立
| Cabinet passes regulations detailing new ministry's function
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Cabinet passed regulations on Thursday (Oct. 17) providing more details on a new sports ministry that is expected to begin operation in August next year. The regulations describe three administrative entities for the new ministry: the National Sports Training Center, National Sports Science Center, and National Sports Industry Development Center, per CNA. Six departments, including a competitive sports and international department, will operate under the three centers. The regulations will be sent to the legislature for review. Cabinet Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that he hopes the new ministry will be up and running by August 2025 at the latest, and the budget for the ministry will be NT$20 billion (US$620 million). Kung said it is expected the ministry will be staffed by 400 people, and its leaders will be chosen from candidates who are qualified university professors or assistant professors. However, he said the legislature will be able to decide if recruitment is opened to industry professionals and the Cabinet will respect the legislature’s choice if it decides to take this route. The sports ministry will operate professional competitive sports venues, including during the hours that they are open to the community, Kung said. He added the sports ministry will also be responsible for designing and funding sports classes at these venues. Kung said that when the new sports ministry is established, the education ministry will retain responsibility for the construction of sports facilities such as swimming pools and sports fields on school campuses. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) first described the idea of a sports ministry during his inauguration speech on May 20. The ministry and the budget for the project were announced in June. |
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| Jono Thomson, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2024-10-17 |
