Fireworks light up Taipei Stadium during the opening ceremonies of the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics in Taiwan on Sept. 5, 2009. (Photo by )
People lavish with praise as Taipei Deaflympics comes to closeby Colin Whited on September 15, 2009 As the sun set on the final day of the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei and athletes of different countries paraded into Taipei Stadium for the closing ceremony, there was a look in people’s eyes that showed distinct satisfaction with the past 10 days. Jeff Salit, the Vice President of NSO Affairs and Assistant to the U.S. Team Leader, said at the closing ceremony that there was no doubt the Taipei Games was the best Deaflympics ever. “When considering the amount of money Taiwan spent for this event, which was about $50 million U.S. dollars, there is no question that they were able to plan the greatest Deaflympics,” he said. “Look at this [closing] ceremony. There’s never been anything like it.” While Taipei was able to invest a lot of money into hosting an extravagant Deaflympics, other factors made other people believe that it was the best Games ever. “There were 51 world records broken and 94 Games records broken,” U.S. basketball player Jon Mowl said. “The competitive nature of the Games alone made it the greatest ever. Not only that, but the competitive atmosphere was superb.” Taipei erected brand-new facilities around the city in order to have locations of competitions close by, making it convenient for fans and athletes alike to watch multiple events in a reasonable amount of time. Ronnie Zuchegno, a U.S. bowler, also said there was no doubt Taipei hosted the best Deaflympics ever. “This is my first time [at the Deaflympics], and I’ve been blown away,” he said. “Some of my teammates have been here four or five times, and they said that it was the best one they’ve ever been involved in. For me, what made it so great was the hospitality. We really felt welcomed here.” Salit agreed, saying, Taiwan’s “people gave us first-class treatment.” Taiwan was able to gather a volunteer corps of about 8,000 people, ensuring every athlete, official and fan was accommodated. The experience that made this Deaflympics so great did not have to do only with Taiwan’s venues and people. “For the first time in my Deaflympics experience, we were able to stay at great hotels,” U.S. assistant basketball coach Kevin Smith said. “For this, I have to applaud USADSF for their willingness to provide great facilities for us.” All in all, there’s no question Taipei was able to conjure magic and give the world the greatest Games in the history of the Deaflympics. “It exceeded all of my expectations,” athletic trainer Jon Vaughn said. “There’s absolutely nothing to complain about. If you have anything to complain about, you’re going to dig yourself into a pretty deep hole of expectations.” One thing’s for sure: Expectations are high for the 2013 games in Athens. It will take a pretty good act to trump the one we all have experienced the past couple weeks. |
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