Delegation of sports coaches from Chinese mainland visits Taiwan

TAIPEI, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of prominent sports coaches from the Chinese mainland traveled to Taiwan on Monday and will return home on Friday. It is the first delegation of its kind to travel to the island in over three years.

Members of the delegation coach sports such as badminton, table tennis, gymnastics, weight lifting and fencing, and they are visiting the island on the invitation of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee.

They have exchanged ideas with their peers in Taiwan and helped train local athletes in several cities, including Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung.

"Through this visit, we hope that people from sports sectors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can learn from and gain a better understanding of each other, and enhance our friendship," Xia Xuanze, head coach of the Chinese badminton singles who is heading the delegation, said at a meeting held in Taipei on Thursday.

The visit is expected to play a constructive role in raising athletic performances on both sides of the Strait, and in stepping up cooperation, Xia said.

Xia visited two high schools in Taiwan and coached several young players there.

Mark Chen, deputy secretary general of the Chinese Taipei Badminton Association, said badminton players and coaches on both sides of the Strait have maintained close interactions for years, and Taiwan has benefited a lot from the mainland's experience.

Since Taiwan sent its first sports delegation to the mainland in 1989, cross-Strait sports exchanges have prospered, said Tsai Szu-chuen, vice president of Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. He said that he hopes the two sides can take this visit as an opportunity to advance further cooperation.