Disability Sports Deaflympics Deaflympics Taipei 2009

Taipei Deaflympics Closing Ceremony

The 21st Summer Deaflympics ended in Taipei on Tuesday with fireworks, drumming and a massive open-air banquet that showcased local Taiwanese delicacies. In authentic Taiwanese traditions, 350 round tables were set up for a big "ban de", a party or celebration with catered food, in Taiwanese.

The Taipei Deaflympics, which opened on Sept. 5 and closed on the 15th were the first held in Asia.

The 21st Summer Deaflympics ended in Taipei on Tuesday with fireworks, drumming and a massive open-air banquet that showcased local Taiwanese delicacies.

In authentic Taiwanese traditions, 350 round tables were set up for a big "ban de", a party or celebration with catered food, in Taiwanese.

Many local delicacies were served during last night's festivities, a pallet of snacks including sakura hebi or cherry shrimp from Pingtung, peanuts from Yunlin and dried tofu from Dasi, followed by an appetizer platter of baby abalones and cured roe of haider or a kind of mullet.

"The breathtaking spectacle at the opening ceremony and the culinary climax at the closing ceremony were very creative and full of ingenuity, " Ma said, adding that closing the Deaflympics with a 350-table banquet of 11 Taiwanese dishes is believed to be an eye-opening record in world sports history.

The 6,000 volunteers recruited by the World Games contributed to the success of the Kaohsiung event, while Taipei solicited over 9,700 volunteers for the Deaflympics, meaning that for every Deaflympics athlete there were more than two volunteers to assist them.

International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) president Donalda Ammons yesterday praised Taipei’s Summer Deaflympics as the “best ever” in the Games’ 85-year history. Ammons said she was impressed by the event in many ways, including its venues, its organization and efficiency, the setup of the programs and the volunteers.

The Deaflympics featured 20 sports this year, including tennis, wrestling and judo. A record 4,000 athletes from 81 countries participated. Russia took home 98 medal at these games, the most of any country. Ukraine came in second with 67 medals, followed by China, with 38. Host Taiwan came in fifth with 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals.

The games in Taipei finished with three numbers from award-winning singer and dancer Aaron Kwok of Hong Kong. The Deaflympics torch and flag were passed on to the host city of the next Deaflympic Games, Athens, Greece in 2013.

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