Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

With the approach of the 2009 Summer Deaflympics, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin arrived at Hsinchu County Swimming Plaza on August 27 to inspect ongoing preparations at the venue.

Hau remarked that one of the hopefuls from the local team – Tseng Shu-ning – is a native of Hsinchu. He hopes that the athlete will have a chance to demonstrate full potential during the competition and claim the gold medal for Taiwan.

The venues for the competitions are located at several municipalities across northern Taiwan, including Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County, and Hsinchu County. To ensure that all preparations are on schedule, the mayor will take time to visit several of the venues over the next few days. He will also express his gratitude in person to the municipal governments offering assistance.

The Hsinchu County Swimming Plaza is an international-standard competition venue with ten lanes. The plaza can hold up to 720 spectators, with special signal light display to accommodate the hearing-impaired swimmers.

According to the organizer, athletes can begin practicing at the venue starting September 3.

There will be 168 swimmers from 39 nations participating in the swimming competition. Water polo, another competition held at the plaza, has attracted 60 athletes from five nations including Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, and the United States.

Hau noted that Hsinchu County is ready for the games. He hopes that the cooperation between Hsinchu and Taipei will bring success to the 2009 Deaflympics.

Hsinchu Magistrate Cheng Yung-chin also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be involved in organizing the games, connecting the municipality with the world.