Sports for All Administration Promotes Emerging and Extreme Sports, Aiming to Move from Streets to Mainstream

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 14th) To promote the development of diverse sports in Taiwan, the Sports for All Administration of the Ministry of Sports today explained the "Emerging and Extreme Sports Guidance Program," recognizing 31 types of sports. Through a dual-track approach of financial subsidies and consulting guidance, it aims to bring these street sports into the national mainstream.

The Sports for All Administration held a press conference today, recognizing 23 emerging sports, including wheeled ramp sports, parkour, street dance, rope flow, baseball5, mini baseball, pickleball, cornhole, Padel, Teqball, R-one ball, shuttlecock, freestyle basketball, paintball, stand-up paddleboarding, drone soccer, slacklining, sport stacking, Go, electronic darts, esports, tech sports, and virtual sports.

Extreme sports include 8 types: trail running, ultramarathon, ultra-extreme triathlon, skateboarding, freediving, wing foiling, non-powered flight sports, and firefighter-specific competitions.

Director-General Fang Jui-wen of the Sports for All Administration stated that today is the initial announcement of the recognized sports. From today until June 5, recognized national associations can apply online for related projects. In the future, the focus will be on subsidizing domestic competitions, guiding domestic workshops and training courses, and promotional activities.

He also revealed that this year's budget is approximately 40 million NTD, hoping to assist national sports organizations in strengthening their operations, improving event quality, and cultivating professional talent, so that emerging and extreme sports can move towards mainstream and institutionalized development.

Fang Jui-wen explained that sports like Padel and Teqball are competition sports in this year's Nagoya Asian Games, but their popularity in Taiwan may not be as high yet. Therefore, this program can be used to accelerate the promotion of these sports.

At today's press conference, 11-year-old sport stacking national player Luo Hong-fu was invited to perform. Luo Hong-fu is a child with a rare disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but he has broken through his limits through sport stacking. He not only won 3 medals at the 2024 Asian Championships but was also awarded the Presidential Education Award in 2025. (Editor: Long Po-an) 1150514