TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association (TDDA) on Thursday (Sept. 22) revealed details of World Cup Taiwan 2022, which will last from Oct. 8-9 at Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei City.
Through this friendly football competition, TDDA believes it creates a space for the foreign community in Taiwan that can also be used to show Taiwan to the world, TDDA President Chiayo Kuo (郭家佑) said. “When foreigners mention Taiwan to their friends and family back home, they can talk about something other than Taipei 101, stinky tofu, and bubble tea.”
“We hope to make the foreign community feel comfortable here in Taiwan so that they can become ambassadors of our country and speak for us on the international stage,” she said. She added that the event provides Taiwanese “an opportunity to experience a true cultural exchange with the foreigners in this country,” which is why this year's theme is “One sport, one world."
World Cup Taiwan 2022 will have 18 teams with players from 12 countries playing over two days. The competition will also feature music, dance, and food stalls to bring the Taiwanese public and international community together, according to a TDDA press release.
This year’s event is organized by TDDA, the Taiwan Football Development Association, and Honduran national Fernando Herrera Ramos and hosted by the Haitian Embassy in Taiwan.
“Since its inception, (World Cup Taiwan 2022) has been one of the most prestigious and meaningful activities held in Taiwan,” Ambassador Roudy Stanley Penn said. He described the event as an activity that “brings together different cultures and promotes them” and said the Haitian Embassy is “very honored” to be the host of this year’s World Cup competition.
He told Taiwan News that playing sports together and respecting the rules teaches many values, including the acceptance of losing. “You cannot win all the time. You need to appreciate when others win.”
The ambassador said he hoped the competition would continue to be successful and promote football and foreign culture to the Taiwanese.
Saint Lucian Ambassador Dr. Robert Kennedy hailed the event as “a wonderful gesture” that combines diplomacy with sports. “Saint Lucia is a football-loving country,” he said. The Saint Lucian players who are taking part in this competition are very excited about it and they have been training very hard, he added.
Kennedy praised Taiwan as “a very hospitable” country and invited the Taiwanese to enjoy the football matches to make the event a success.
Tickets for World Cup Taiwan 2022 are already being sold online, with 3,000 football fans expected to attend. General admission tickets are priced at NT$120 (US$3.80), while FJU student and child (6-12 years old) tickets will cost NT$100.
People under the age of 6 or 65 and older get free admission.
The tournament will be broadcast on Sportcast, ETtoday, and PTS, as well as in Honduras and Paraguay. Matches will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
(Saint Lucia Embassy photo)
Haiti Ambassador to Taiwan Roudy Stanley Penn. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
