President Lai Ching-te went to Kaohsiung this morning (8th) to attend the "Flag Presentation Ceremony for my country's Delegation to the 20th Aiko-Nagoya Asian Games in 2026" and encouraged the athletes to surpass themselves, believe in themselves and perform to their fullest. He also pointed out that the government will always stand with the players and become their most solid backing. In the future, it will continue to go all out to provide the players with the best resources and strengthen various logistical support work.

After arriving, the President first watched the Asian Games support video and presented the national flag and team flag to our delegation. Then he presented groceries and "Asian Games Victory Guards" to the player representatives.

In his speech, the president said that the 2026 Ai Nagoya Asian Games will start on September 19. He is very happy to present the flag to the national team and cheer for all the players, coaches and logistics teams. This year there are 482 players in the national team, who will compete in 34 competition categories. On behalf of the people of the country, he would like to wish all the players a successful start, surpass themselves, and achieve the best results.

The president said that athletes are on the front line bringing glory to the country, and the government will definitely be their best support. Minister Li Yang of the Sports Department is an athlete himself and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Minister Li understands the needs of each athlete very well, so under his leadership this year, the Sports Department, the National Training Center and related units have gone all out to implement support work, including training, nutrition, medical care, transportation, rehabilitation and other aspects.

The president pointed out that for this Asian Games, we will not only set up relay stations in Nagoya and Toyohashi, but also set up satellite stations in Tokyo. The team headquarters includes medical professionals, physical therapists, sports protection and other professionals, which has also increased from about 40 people in the past to 53 people. The size of the relay station has also been greatly increased, from 13 people in the previous session to 42 people. It shows that the athletic department is going all out to provide the best resources for athletes. Thank you to the athletic department and all the supporting teams who participated.

The president said that the stage belongs to the players. After training day after day, we have even experienced injuries, low points and setbacks. With the company of the coach and all the teams, we have reached this day and are about to stand on the international competitive stage. Therefore, we must seize the opportunity, believe in ourselves, fight with confidence, perform to the fullest, and try our best to surpass past results. I believe that the country's overall performance will naturally be outstanding, and the government will always stand with everyone.

Including Sports Minister Li Yang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hu Zhongyi, legislators Lai Ruilong, Xu Zhijie, Cai Chunxiang, Chinese Olympic Committee Chairman Cai Jiafu, Sports Federation of the Republic of China President Ye Zhengyan, Asian Games Chinese Taipei delegation general leader Liao Yuhui, etc. also attended the event.