Taiwan bags 25 medals, the most at WorldSkills Asia 2023

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Taiwan bagged 25 medals to rank first among all participating nations at the WorldSkills Asia 2023 in Abu Dhabi, one of the largest technical and vocational events in Asia, the Ministry of Labor said Friday.

According to a statement released by the Ministry's Workforce Development Agency, 31 Taiwanese participants competed in 29 events across the competition's two age groups and took home 12 golds, six silvers, four bronzes, and three merit awards.

The agency said the number of medals and awards won led the 24 participating countries and areas and represented a major improvement over its performance in the previous Asian competition held in 2018 in which Taiwan won five golds, five silvers, and three bronzes.

One of the Taiwanese winners was Sun Ching (孫謦), who captured a gold medal in the "Fashion Technology" category in the 17-22 age group.

Contestants in that category were asked to design and create garments using skills such as pattern making and cutting and to demonstrate an understanding of global fashion trends, the agency's statement said.

Sun said she never even thought about winning gold at her first international competition, and she thanked her friends and high school teacher for their support.

Another gold medal winner was Tai Chia-chun (戴家畯) in the "Plastering and Drywall Systems" category in the same age group.

Contestants were required to show such skills as preparing a background for application, repairing a plaster surface, and creating and installing decorative mouldings.

Tai's performance also earned him the "Best of Nation" award.

Hsu Yu-wei (許有崴) won gold in the "Electrical Installation" category for the teenage group (14-16 year olds) that required competitors to plan and design a reliable system and then safely install it.

Hsu said he was inspired by older students at his junior high school and after having his name displayed at the school gate with the words "gold medal" next to it just like those other students, he wanted to thank his parents, teachers, and those who supported him.

According to the Agency, Taiwan will host the next WorldSkills Asia Competition, which will take place Nov. 19-21, 2025.

It will be the first time Taiwan hosts a WorldSkills event in some 30 years, with the previous one being the WorldSkills Competition in 1993.