TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ultramarathon runner Tommy Chen (陳彥博) will lead the singing of the national anthem at Thursday’s New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office Building, CNA reported.
The ceremony will open to the public at 4:30 a.m. and start at 5:00 a.m., with limited national flags available for attendees. Designer Lin Wan-chin (林琬津) created the event’s visuals, using pink and dynamic imagery to symbolize hope and highlight volunteers’ disaster relief efforts following the overflow of Mataian barrier lake in Hualien.
The event will open with a medley performance by the Taipei First Girls High School marching band and a band led by Su Shih-yang (蘇世揚), a doctor from Tainan Municipal Hospital. This will be followed by a street dance performance from students in Taipei and a show by the Ministry of National Defense Joint Service Honor Guard. Indigenous singer Ado Kaliting Pacidal from Hualien, a Golden Melody Awards winner, will also perform.
The Office of the President said that four domestic medical associations will organize the event. Sixty healthcare workers from the groups will join Chen in leading the national anthem, highlighting President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) health promotion committee initiative and honoring the contributions of medical staff in Taiwan.
Among those participating in the anthem is Ko Fu-yang (柯富揚), chair of the Chinese Medical Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he advocated for the inclusion of the traditional Chinese medicine NRICM101 in the national health insurance coverage. He later helped promote the passage of the Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Development Act.
Following the ceremony, the Presidential Office will remain open to the public until 4:00 p.m. The site will feature markets, including a Team Taiwan merchandise market from the baseball league, as well as an exhibition by the Ministry of Culture showcasing Taiwanese-themed martial arts adventure comics.
Chen said that after leading the national anthem, he will walk from Taipei to Kaohsiung while pulling a 20-kg competition sled as part of his training for the Arctic Ultra in March. He previously completed the 617-kilometer Arctic Ultra challenge in under eight days, becoming the first Asian athlete to finish the race.
