New Taipei City hosts Indigenous traditional sports competition

New Taipei City hosted the 115th Indigenous Traditional Sports Competition, featuring nearly 900 athletes across 24 teams. The event serves as a selection process for athletes to represent the city at the National Indigenous Games scheduled for March next year in Taichung.

Key competitive categories include traditional tug-of-war, sawing, spear throwing, and dance. The competition also features recreational events such as net casting and weighted relays to promote traditional lifestyle and cultural exchange among different ethnic groups.

To encourage participation and support long-term training, New Taipei City has significantly increased incentive payments. Individual first-place prize money has risen from 80,000 TWD to 150,000 TWD, while team first-place rewards have increased from 20,000 TWD to 80,000 TWD. Coaching incentives have also been raised to bolster athlete and trainer morale.