Olympic breakdancer to receive special Sports Elite Award

Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) The Taiwanese dancer who competed in the first Olympic breaking event at the 2024 Paris Games has been named as this year's special Sports Elite Award recipient, the Sports Administration announced in Taipei on Thursday.

Breakdancer Sun Chen (孫振), also known as B-Boy Quake, will receive the special award at this year's Sports Elite Awards ceremony on Dec. 20 for earning one of the 16 spots in the Olympic B-Boy competition, according to the Sports Administration, which runs the awards.

Although Sun failed to advance to the quarterfinals in Paris, he won the Outbreak Europe competition in Slovakia on Aug. 25, two weeks after making his Olympic debut.

Meanwhile, former Chinese Taipei Boxing Association President Lee Wu-nan (李武男), 82, will be presented a lifetime achievement award for reforms he implemented during his tenure and promoting the sport among students and women, according to the administration.

Six other Sports Elite Awards will be up for grabs at this year's ceremony, with several medal winners at the Paris Olympics vying for honors.

Among them will be the Taiwanese athletes who won gold medals -- Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) in women's boxing and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and Lee Yang (李洋) in men's badminton doubles -- and five bronze medals in Paris.

Lin has been nominated in the best female athlete category along with two Olympic bronze medalists in women's boxing and two Paralympic table tennis silver medalists, while Wang and Lee were nominated in the best sports team category.

"The (athletes') performances were good this year, and people in Taiwan have seen their hard work," said Sports Administration Deputy Director-General Hung Chih-chang (洪志昌), at a press briefing held to announce the special award winners and regular award nominees.

Gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻), who took home his first Olympic medal, a bronze in the men's horizontal bar, was nominated in the best male athlete and best sportsmanship categories while his coach Weng Shih-hang (翁士航) was nominated in the best coach category.

The Taiwanese silver medalist in the men's table tennis team event in Paris, 19-year-old Kao Cheng-jui (高承睿), has also been nominated in two categories -- best male athlete and best rookie athlete.

A total of 126 entries were submitted this year, the administration said.