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Taiwan marathon to back Beijing's bid
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Taiwanese and Chinese athletes will begin a 10-city marathon Saturday to support Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympics -- presenting the rivals from opposite sides of the Taiwan Strait a rare chance to show solidarity. Seizing their moment of mutual goodwill, officials of both delegations met reporters late Friday to discuss the marathon that will move to Shenzhen before ending in Beijing on June 30. "The warmth of the people and the media of Taiwan have moved us," said Che Xiangdong, head of the Chinese delegation. Che said the agreement to hold the marathon has "satisfied the wishes of the Chinese people from both sides." The organizer and a former Olympic runner for Taiwan, Chi Cheng, expressed hopes that politics can be cast aside. "I organized this event -- purely on the basis of sports -- to wish for Beijing's success," she said. "Politics was never in my heart and has never come across my mind." The Chinese delegation, including 11 athletes, arrived in Taipei on Thursday to meet with counterparts from Taiwan's Track and Field Association. Relations between the historic rivals have remained frosty over a squabble about Taiwan's political status. But Beijing's bid for the Olympics -- against Toronto and Paris -- has offered them a chance to move more closely on a cultural level. Many Taiwanese politicians and citizens are supportive of Beijing's bid, saying it bodes well for peace and stability in the region. Many believe that if Beijing gets to host the Olympics, the Chinese leadership would come under international pressure to ease its threat of war against the island. The two sides split amid civil war in 1949 and have been governed separately ever since, but China still claims Taiwan as a renegade province and insists reunification must take place at some point. Chinese sports officials have said they would consider asking the International Olympic Committee hold some events in Taiwan if Beijing is chosen when the committee votes July 13 on the 2008 host. Many Chinese believe that if Beijing wins, it will affirm their country's rise to prominence. Under Beijing's insistence, Taiwanese athletes compete separately in the Olympics as "Chinese Taipei," the designation Taiwan also uses at other international events such as business conferences. The wordplay is part of Beijing's intense effort to deny Taiwan any semblance of statehood, even though Taiwanese insist they can govern themselves with a democratic system and strong economy based largely on high-tech manufacturing.
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