TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The July 16 opening of the World Games in
Kaohsiung will feature British singer Russell Watson as well as cameras
shooting from a balloon floating over the scene, organizers announced
Wednesday.
Public Television Service, which will broadcast the events, said it had
rented the 20-meter-long balloon, setting a historic first for Taiwan.
The vehicle can fly continuously for four hours and will be used for
both the opening and the closing ceremony.
The company is also
renting four satellites to provide live coverage of the games across
five continents, Deputy Executive Director Chung Yu-yuan told a news
conference at the Government Information Office Wednesday.
Over
a thousand engineers and 30 broadcasting vans would be mobilized during
the games in what Chung described as the biggest event in television
broadcasting in Taiwan history.
On the entertainment side, the
organizers announced Wednesday that British tenor Russell Watson would
join New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra for a duet on the opening day.
Taiwanese music lovers will not be disappointed either, since they will
have the occasion of seeing a performance by Huang Hsiao Hu with A
Shin, the former lead singer with rock band Shin.
In addition to
PTS, Chunghwa Telecom said it would use more than 500 staff to
broadcast 35 sporting events from 23 scenes over its hiChannel Internet
and emome cell phone platforms.
GIO Director-General and Cabinet
spokesman Su Jun-pin said everyone from central to local government
would cooperate to make the July 16-26 games a success.
Since a
total of 102 countries would take part in the games, 102 countries
would have the opportunity to look at Taiwan, Su said. Having the whole
world see Kaohsiung was the common achievement of all, said the
government spokesman.
Su was referring to the fact that Taiwan’s
second city is run by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu recently paid a rare visit to China, inviting
the mayors of Beijing and Shanghai to attend the opening of the games.