Go player Hsu Hao-hung wins Special Award at Sports Elite Awards

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) Pro Go player Hsu Hao-hung (許皓鋐) was awarded a "Special Award" at the 2023 Sports Elite Awards ceremony in Taipei on Monday for winning an Asian Games title in Hangzhou, completing a remarkable year for the 22-year-old.

Hsu, who was ranked 35th in the world heading into the Asian Games, secured the tournament's title in late September by upsetting the three-highest ranked Go players in the world from China and South Korea in succession in the quarters, semis and finals.

At the ceremony, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who awarded the trophy to Hsu, said the children living near him wanted to learn how to play Go following Hsu's feat.

"It's unfortunate I only know how to play Gomoku," he said.

The former vice president said Hsu set a good example for the public and showed that everyone can rise to the top if they specialize in a particular field.

Meanwhile, Hsu thanked his family and friends for their support and to the team for helping him before the Asian Games.

Go is a very interesting activity suitable for people of all ages, he said, and he hoped more people will pay attention to the board game.

The Special Award was first awarded in 2011 mainly to honor professional athletes who performed well overseas. Golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) and pitcher Chen Wei-yin (陳偉殷) have won the award in the past.

The award is not given every year, however, as was the case in 2013 and 2014.

FEATURE/Miracle man: Stoic Hsu Hao-hung stuns Go world, social media

On the same occasion, basketball coach Liu Jin-chi (劉錦池) was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the development of student basketball, mainly in Kaohsiung.

His efforts earned him the nickname "promoter of basketball in southern Taiwan," according to the Sports Administration, the organizer of the Sports Elite Awards.

Liu, who recently turned 80, said he asked players to study hard and have good personalities in addition to playing good basketball, enabling the students to cultivate good careers after graduating.

The Sports Elite Awards were established by the government to recognize athletes and teams based on their performance and contributions in Taiwan and overseas over the past year, according to the Sports Administration.

A total of 85 recommendations were submitted for the Sports Elite Awards this year, according to Hung Chih-chang (洪志昌), deputy director-general of the Sports Administration.

Except for the Lifetime Achievement Award, the winners of other awards of the 2023 Sports Elite Awards were decided based on their performances between Oct. 1, 2022 and Oct. 16, 2023, the administration said.

Also on Monday, the Sports Administration announced the winners of six other awards as follows:

Best Male Athlete Award: Yang Yung-wei (楊勇緯, judo)

Best Female Athlete Award: Lien Chen-ling (連珍羚, judo)

Best Coach Award: Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強, boxing)

Best Sports Team Award: Hangzhou Asian Games men's 3x3 basketball team, Lin Sin-kuan (林信寬), Chiang Chun (江均), Yu Xiang-ping (余祥平) and Wang Jhe-yu (汪哲宇)

Best Newcomer Award: Hsieh Yuan-kai (謝元愷, men's 110 meters hurdles)

Sportsmanship Award: Gu Shiau-shuang (谷筱霜, karate)