Mainland's Olympic medalists to visit Taiwan

TAIPEI - The Chinese mainland's gold medalists from the 2012 Olympics will visit Taiwan as one of 14 cross-Strait sports exchange events this year, it was announced on Monday.

When attending the 16th exchange seminar of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC), COC vice president Yang Shu'an said the gold medalists' Taiwan trip planned for last year had been postponed due to technical issues including athlete's agendas.

Yang added that the timing of the visit will be decided through consultation between the COC and the CTOC, and that athletes competing in sports popular in Taiwan would be chosen for the visit.

The two side have arranged 14 sports exchange events for this year, with seven on each side of the Strait, including exchanges among people working in sporting industries, sports scientists and others.

In the meantime, Taiwan's coaches in sports including weight lifting, swimming, shooting, table tennis, badminton and gymnastics will also visit the Chinese mainland.

Thomas Tsai, president of the CTOC, said he hoped the exchanges will help Taiwan to improve its levels of competitiveness in sports.