Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Using sign language, ROC President Ma Ying-jeou announced the beginning of the 21st Summer Deaflympics before a gathering of 10,000-plus spectators at the Taipei Stadium on September 5.

The 2009 Deaflympics is the first time for the international event to be held in Asia. According to the organizers, this year’s Deaflympics has set a new record in the number of participants, with over 5,000 athletes and staff from around the world.

The opening ceremony, produced by renowned international director Stanley Lai, kicked off at 7:30 PM Saturday night. All 13,000 tickets for the event were completely sold out beforehand.

According to Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, over 800 reporters from both local and abroad will be covering the Deaflympics. In addition, the ceremony will also be televised at 160 nations.

For those who cannot attend the ceremony at the Taipei Stadium in person, Chungwa Telecom has set up screens at locations such as MRT Tamsui Station Plaza, Keelung Night Market, Taichung Sogo Department Store, and Kaohsiung Dream Mall to offer the public live outdoor broadcast of the event.

During his address, the mayor welcomed everyone to the Deaflympics in Taipei. He pointed out that this is the first time for the games to take place in Taiwan and in Asia; he expressed his gratitude to President Ma for helping the city win the hosting rights, and to all the people who contributed their time and efforts.

The determination of not giving up, noted the mayor, is the spirit of the Deaflympics and the essence of the Taiwan spirit. Despite the daunting international challenges facing the country, he reminded the listeners not to give up and to do our best to make Taipei the center of attention of the international community.