The Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade, the largest international sports event ever hosted by Taiwan, kicked off with the opening ceremony on August 19th at the Taipei Stadium. To welcome the athletes and distinguished guests from around the world on behalf of Taiwan, Interplan International Corp., prepared a 3-part cultural program that provided a global perspective, displayed Taiwan’s characteristics, and reflected the mind of the young generation. Over 10,000 athletes and 16,000 spectators enjoyed the opening ceremony live, a small fraction of the millions who watched the show remotely around the world. The rich culture and enthusiasm of Taiwan were felt by everyone who witnessed the stunning performances.
Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade is the largest international sporting event with the highest number of participating athletes that Taiwan has ever hosted. The creative production team invited many honorable athletes and volunteers who have contributed to Taiwan sports and impacted the world to join the celebration. The 2017 Universiade was officially opened off after short speeches from the President of FISU, the Major of Taipei and the President of Taiwan.
Following the flag-raising and anthems, a 3-part cultural program, titled “Vibrant Island”, “Hybrid Taipei, and “Global Tribe” unfolded. The cultural program involved many professional performers and musicians working collaboratively. Each part transitioned to the next through diversified dance and music, strongly tied to the spirit of Universiade – For You. For Youth. The cultural program stunned the crowd and received only positive feedback from all around. The unforgettable images immediately became classics.
One exciting and memorable moment in the opening ceremony was the lighting of the cauldron. 3 torch bearers, Chiang Hung-Chieh (2015 Gwangju Universiade Gold Medal for Table Tennis Men’s Double), Tai Tzu-Ying, (current No. 1 seed in Badminton), and Tan Ya-Ting (2015 Gwangju Universiade Gold Medal for Archery Team), marched around the stadium before it was passed to Chen Chin-Fen (the first Taiwanese player to play in Major League Baseball). Chen hit a homer with a fire ball towards the cauldron, igniting the flame and setting off the firework show, lighting up the Taipei skyline with dazzling colors and special effects, celebrating the arrival of Universiade.
