EVA Air Marathon's 'Seedling Project' Kicks Off First Stop in Alishan

(CNA, by Yu Hsiao-han, Taipei, 7th) The first stop of this year's EVA Air Marathon 'Seedling Project - Campus Deep Dive Tour' chose Alishan, Chiayi, inviting nearly 100 students from 7 local schools to participate, hoping to root and cultivate talent for Taiwan's long-distance running through professional training.

EVA Air issued a press release today stating that the 2026 EVA Air Marathon 'Seedling Project - Campus Deep Dive Tour' officially kicked off its first stop at Alishan National Primary and Secondary School in Chiayi from June 6th to 7th. The event invited a total of nearly 100 students from 7 schools, including Chiayi County Alishan National Primary and Secondary School, Alishan Township Dabang Elementary School, Alishan Township Shizi Elementary School, Zhuqi Township Zhongxing Elementary School, Zhuqi Township Zhonghe Elementary School, Zhuqi Township Guanghua Elementary School, and Fanlu Township Xiding Elementary School.

EVA Air Vice President Wang Jhen-shing said that since its launch in 2023, the EVA Air Marathon 'Seedling Project - Campus Deep Dive Tour' has visited Taitung, Hengchun, Kinmen, Keelung, Yunlin, Nantou, Penghu, Hualien, and Matsu, with over a thousand children participating cumulatively. EVA Air hopes to root and cultivate talent for Taiwan's long-distance running sport through professional training, team competition games, and in-depth companionship and exchange.

Wang Yu-chen, a director at Alishan National Primary and Secondary School, stated that education and sports resources in rural areas of Chiayi are relatively limited, and professional guidance is particularly needed to help discover more talent. He thanked EVA Air for bringing professional sports resources to Chiayi, encouraging children to build confidence and find goals in sports, and looks forward to seeing more outstanding athletes from Chiayi on the international stage, winning glory for Taiwan in the future.

EVA Air stated that this campus tour event was designed by Danny, founder of Dannymultisports, and Chi Chi, founder of Good Luck Running Club, who jointly created an interactive course combining strength training and team competitions. Through fun and challenging game-based training, it aims to enhance students' interest in sports.

Furthermore, EVA Air pointed out that it prepared 'Dream Drawing Paper' designed with the concept of a boarding pass, allowing each student to write down their goals and dreams. Students were also invited to the stage to shout out their dreams, giving them more courage to face the future goals they aspire to achieve. Through a lively and interactive atmosphere, children are encouraged to face challenges without fear, persevere, and advance towards a broader international stage.

In addition to the professional coaching team, EVA Air said it also invited Huang Tsung-an, the secretary-general of the Taiwan Indigenous Baseball Development Association, to share his life story. Huang, from the Amis tribe in Taitung, was exposed to diverse sports training from a young age and has long been involved in giving back to grassroots sports among indigenous peoples. It is hoped that through this event, the children can feel the infinite possibility of 'letting dreams take off on time with perseverance as wings.'

EVA Air also stated that it continues to deepen its commitment to rural education and sports development through the resource integration of its directly-operated travel agency, EverFun Travel. In the future, the EVA Air Marathon 'Seedling Project - Campus Deep Dive Tour' will also advance to more cities. (Editor: Kuan Chung-wei) 1150607