TAIPEI: The Sports Affairs Council (SAC) will spend NT$1.6 billion ($50 million) this year on a program aimed at transforming Taiwan into a sports island, the top sports administrator said yesterday .

SAC chief Tai Hsia-ling said the program will help finance construction of sports or exercise centers in cities and counties around Taiwan to encourage local residents to exercise regularly.

The council also intends to invest NT$4 billion over the next four years to build new cycling trails in northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan. Tai said.

"The trails will connect with 17 road networks around Taiwan to form two round-the-island cycling trails - one a 1,022km coastal path and another a 907km mountain trail," explained Tai, who said the new trails will give local cycling enthusiasts a wide variety of options.

With the Asian Games coming up in November, the council is actively helping athletes prepare for the event, but it has also launched a medium- and long-term incubation program to nurture Taiwan's outstanding athletes of the future.

In a related development, the "Ministry of Education" (MOE) said Tuesday that it will provide funding to help 50,000 underprivileged students develop swimming skills.

The school children targeted in the 12-year swimming training project include those from low-income families, indigenous tribes and remote rural areas or outlying islands.

"Vice Education Minister" Chen Yi-hsing said that in the first four years, commencing this year, NT$3.9 billion will be allocated to the project, with NT$400 million to be used to help schools at various levels to teach their students to swim.

An additional NT$750 million will be made available each year for counties and cities to promote the use of swimming pools, install water warming facilities or build new swimming pools, Chen said.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 02/04/2010 page2)