The torch for the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade—the largest global sporting competition ever staged in the country—arrived in Taiwan June 29, marking the conclusion of the international portion of the relay and the commencement of its monthlong tour around the nation.
 
Upon reaching the country, the torch was carried to Taipei City Hall by Chen Shih-hsin, the nation’s first Olympic gold medalist. The taekwondo star, who claimed victory in the women’s under 49-kg category at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, passed the torch to Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, who used it to ignite a cauldron in front of city hall that will remain lighting for the duration of the Aug. 19-30 event.
 
According to the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee, the torch will visit all 22 administrative regions nationwide before returning to the capital city Aug. 10. It will subsequently be employed to light the main lantern during the opening ceremony.
 
The various legs of the torch relay have been mapped out to highlight the distinctive cultural, economic and environmental features of Taiwan’s cities and counties, TUOC said. They also form the letters in the word “love,” with the V replaced by a heart, to symbolize the love that will spread from Taiwan’s capital to every corner of the world during the games, the committee added.
 
The first stop is Yushan, the highest peak in Taiwan and East Asia at 3,952 meters, with the torch journeying to the top of the mountain July 5-7.
 
For the next leg July 13-17, the torch will travel to the outlying counties of Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang. It will then tour the northeastern county of Yilan, the eastern county of Hualien, the central city of Taichung and the northern county of Miaoli July 19-23.
 
From July 25 to Aug. 2, the torch will travel around central and southern Taiwan, passing through Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Taitung County and Nantou County.
 
Commencing Aug. 4, the final portion of the relay in northern Taiwan will see the torch visit Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Taoyuan City, New Taipei City and Keelung City prior to returning to Taipei.
 
The torch relay began June 20 in the northern Italian city of Turin, host of the first Summer Universiade, and then visited Naples in southern Italy, site of the next edition in 2019. It also stopped in Bangkok, Thailand, and Daegu, South Korea, hosts of the 2007 and 2003 events, respectively, before arriving in Taiwan.
 
Also known as the World University Games, the Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival staged every two years in a different city worldwide. The 29th edition in Taipei involves 7,700-plus student athletes from 153 countries contesting 21 sports at 38 competition venues in Taipei, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, New Taipei and Taoyuan. (CPY-E)