Sport in Taiwan: History, Culture, Policy

This is the first comprehensive study of sport in Taiwan to be published in English. It appears at a time when Taiwan has the attention of the global community to the greatest extent since the years following the creation of the People's Republic of China and the formation by the Chinese Nationalist Party of an alternative seat of government for the Republic of China in Taiwan's capital, Taipei. The story of sport in Taiwan is one of athletic achievements and political machinations with this island's athletes allowed to compete in international sport only in the name of Chinese Taipei. The book offers insights into the development, political uses, and current situation of sport in Taiwan, the contribution made by the island's indigenous peoples, the significance of physical activity initiatives, relations between Taiwan and the PRC, sports fandom, the role of the sports media, and gender, exercise, and health. As is so often the case with other parts of the world, sport in Taiwan provides a lens through which the authors examine a range of political and social issues and thereby help readers to gain a better understanding of this interesting, vibrant, and politically sensitive island.

This book is a comprehensive, critical, and timely piece of scholarship that makes a valuable and unique contribution to both the field and our understanding of the distinct and precarious status of Taiwan as a culture and society. Drawing on a range of academic disciplines, theories and methods, the fascinating assembly of essays cover topics spanning indigenous sport, racialised sporting bodies, sport policy and, sport and international relations. The editors, Bairner, Chiang, and Chen, have skilfully blended a collection that uses sport as a strategic lens to provide insights into the complex cultural, economic, political and diplomatic spheres within which Taiwan carefully negotiates its sovereignty and identity amidst an international community that largely spectates from the geo-political side-lines. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the significance of sport in Taiwan but also the significance of Taiwan in the world.
--Steve Jackson, Otago University, New Zealand