Taiwan KOM Challenge, one of the most celebrated cycling races on the island, will take place tomorrow (Oct. 20) with 500 participants from more than 32 countries.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/19
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–Taiwan KOM Challenge, one of the most celebrated cycling

races on the island, will take place tomorrow (Oct. 20) with 500 participants from more than 32 countries. About one half of the participants are domestic cyclists.

Taiwan KOM Challenge is the most recognized series of the Taiwan Cycling Festival 2017 organized by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau. In its sixth year, the event has established a good reputation for itself among domestic and international cyclists, and is included by many in their pocket list of “classic routes to experience at least once in a lifetime.”

(Video courtesy of Tourism Bureau and Taiwan Cyclist Federation)

Each year the event organizer invites King of the Mountains Classification winners of Le Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana to participate in Taiwan KOM Challenge, which was once rated by the French cycling magazine Le Cycle as one of the world’s 10 toughest races.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/19
By: Wu Jui-chi and William Yen

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) A Taiwanese hotel said on Thursday it has created a ‘home away

from home’ for the golfers of the 2017 Swinging Skirts Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Taiwan Championship being held in New Taipei City this week.

Chen I-chu (陳奕筑), public relations chief of the Fullon Hotel Taoyuan Airport Access MRT A8, said the hotel has provided top of the range suites, along with local and international cuisine, for the athletes and their families, which average 100 people staying there each night.

It’s the only hotel offering accommodations for the championship’s golfers.

The hotel also provides hot spring spas with different pools, including sodium bicarbonate springs and salted springs, for its guests, and this could help the athletes replenish their strength, said Chen.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 20, 2017 
By: AP, TAIPEI

Ji Eun-hee yesterday carded a six-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead after the rainy

first round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship.

Ji got off to a strong start with back-to-back birdies at the Miramar Golf Country Club, and added four more to finish the bogey-free round clear of fellow South Koreans Kim Sei-young and Megan Khang, as well as Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

Ji, yet to win this year, did not mind the bad weather, as she hit 10 of 14 fairways.

“I changed my swings a little bit,” Ji said.

“My caddie is helping me a lot. It’s like more information for wind and club choosing. That’s everything,” she added.

Kim had five birdies and two bogeys, while Ariya surprised herself in weather she did not expect to play well in.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) held a press conference on Monday in Italy after the Italian professional volleyball team it sponsors finished the first match under the new title– “Taiwan Excellence Latina.”

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) held a

press conference on Monday (Oct. 16) in Italy after the Italian professional volleyball team it sponsors finished the first match under the new title–“Taiwan Excellence Latina.”

Latina played against Calzedonia Verona, ranked 5th in Italy last year, on Monday. The 14th-ranked Latina fought to the fifth set, but lost by only two points.

According to TAITRA, nearly 1,000 Italian fans turned out to root for Latina, waving a towel with the “Taiwan Excellence” logo.

TAITRA Chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said that as soon as he took the post of TAITRA Chairperson, he directed the organization to strive for innovation, and this is the first time in the 26 years of promoting Taiwan Excellence products that the namesake becomes the title sponsor of an international sports team.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/17
By: Lee Hsin-Yin 

Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) Cadel Evans, winner of the Tour de France in 2011, said Tuesday that he is looking forward to testing his mettle at the Taiwan King of the Mountains (KOM) Challenge, although he said he also feels “intimidated” by the grueling epic climb.

“I came here for a challenge. I know it’s going to be hard,” Evans, a retired professional cyclist, told CNA before participating the race slated for Oct. 20.

Evans said it is curiosity that brings him to the challenge, which starts from the Qixingtan scenic area in the eastern county of Hualien, followed by an 87-kilometer climb through the breathtaking Taroko Gorge to Wuling at Hehuanshan, at an elevation of 3,275 meters.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/16
By: Joseph Yeh 

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) Taiwan’s national baseball team will be heading to Nicaragua on Tuesday for a three-game-exhibition series to celebrate the opening of the country’s new national baseball stadium, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Monday.

The backbone of the team Taiwan is sending consists of student athletes and amateur players who were on the team that won the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands in July, according to the MOFA.

It will be facing a Nicaraguan national team boasting at least three Major League-level players to open Denis Martinez National Baseball Stadium, named after the former major league pitcher who won 245 games in a 23-year career.    [FULL  STORY]

THREE-SET MARATHON:Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova finally won the singles title when she converted her third match point at 1:03am yesterday morning

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 17, 2017
By: Dave Carroll  /  Staff reporter, with AFP, HONG KONG

The Chan sisters on Sunday claimed their second doubles title of the season at the

typhoon-affected Hong Kong Open, while Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova came from behind to win a marathon singles final 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) against Daria Gavrilova in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Top seeds and reigning champions Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan took just 47 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Chinese duo Lu Jiajing and Wang Qiang at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.

The Taiwanese sisters saved the only break point they faced and converted five of eight, winning 51 of the 78 points contested to add the Hong Kong title to the Taiwan Open title they won at the Taipei Arena in February.

It was world No. 2 Chan Yung-jan’s 11th doubles title of the season after the Taiwanese and Swiss world No. 1 Martina Hingis claimed the titles in Eastbourne, Mallorca, Rome, Madrid, Indian Wells, Cincinnati, the US Open, Wuhan and Beijing, taking her prize money for the season to just short of US$1.4 million.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/15
By: Chen Chi-ching and William Yen

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese runners dominated the 2017 Penghu International

Marathon on Sunday, taking the top three places in the both the men’s and women’s races.

In the men’s category, Chen Chun-wei (陳俊偉) crossed the finish line first in a time of 3:29:31, followed by Chen Kuo-yin (陳國音) and Chen Jung-ching (陳榮慶).

Taiwanese runners also closed out the competition in the women’s race, with Cheng Tsai-hung (鄭彩虹) winning in a time of 4:19:37, and Hsieh Meng-fang (謝孟芳) and Yao Chu-chuan (姚竹娟) coming in second and third, respectively.

However, it was a female competitor from China, Deng Jing (鄧靜), who stole the hearts of the spectators, running the 42 kilometer race in a red top and a bright pink skirt.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/15
By: Sie Jing-wun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Taiwan’s top female golfer Teresa Lu (盧曉晴) won the 2017

Fujitsu Ladies championship in Japan on Sunday, finishing with a 14-under-par 202 to take her third title of the season.

Lu carded 68, 67 and 67, in the three rounds of the tournament in Chiba.

In the final round on Sunday, she hit 6 birdies and one bogey, beating South Korea’s Lee Min-young, who finished as the runner-up with a score of 204.

The Fujitsu Ladies is an annual golf tournament for professional golfers on the LPGA of Japan Tour.    [FULL  STORY]