Lienchiang County Quit Smoking Badminton Tournament: County Magistrate, Matsu Defense Commander Fail to Reach Finals

(Lienchiang County, April 25, Central News Agency reporter Pan Hsin-tung) The Lienchiang County Quit Smoking Badminton Tournament kicked off today and tomorrow in Nangan Township. The biggest highlight of the event was that Lienchiang County Magistrate Wang Chung-ming, who registered for the Fun Group, and Matsu Defense Command Commander Yin Chang-jung, who registered for the Elite Group, both failed to advance to the finals.

The 115th Lienchiang County Quit Smoking Badminton Tournament is being held today and tomorrow at the Nangan Lehu Sports Center. According to statistics from the organizer, the Lienchiang County Sports Association Badminton Committee, it attracted over 100 teams and will host nearly 200 matches, a rare scale for the county. The event has 11 categories, covering elementary school to adult amateur players.

The Badminton Committee's press release stated that to encourage public participation in sports events, this year, Lienchiang County Magistrate Wang Chung-ming teamed up with Transportation and Tourism Bureau staff member Tsao Wan-lun to participate in the "Fun Group"; Matsu Defense Command Commander Yin Chang-jung found fellow officer Chang Chen-tang as his teammate to challenge the strongest "Elite Group" competition.

The results of the first day's matches were released. The Badminton Committee stated that both Wang Chung-ming and Yin Chang-jung were eliminated in the group stage and failed to advance to the event finals. The Elite Group championship was won by Chen Chih-ming and Yuan Kuang-lung; the Fun Group championship was won by the duo Chiu Ya-ping and Yang Hsu-tse.

Chen Chih-ming, chairman of the Lienchiang County Sports Association Badminton Committee, said in an interview today that he thanked the Lienchiang County Government for its long-term support for sports development, which allowed the once-suspended Quit Smoking Badminton Tournament to be held again. He also thanked the County Magistrate and the Commander for their participation, bringing them closer to the public through sports and leaving a precious historical moment for the locality. (Editor: Hsieh Ya-chu) 1150425