Chiang Chih-chung () is a Taiwanese

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

er. He is

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

's most successful representative at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

, having won two gold medals, in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. He competes in the F13 category for athletes with visual disabilities. He set a world record at the Sydney Games with a throw of 57.28 metres, before setting a new world record in Athens with a throw of 59.38 metres."Taiwanese athletes with disabilities are turning in stellar performances for themselves and their country"
, ''Taiwan Review'', January 6, 2008 At the International Blind Sports Federation World Championships and Games in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in 2007, Chiang won a gold medal in the javelin, silver in the discus and bronze in shot put. As of January 2008, he had won seven gold medals in international competitions. In 2004, Chiang was awarded the Order of Brilliant Star with Cravat in recognition of his Paralympic performances. He was due to represent Chinese Taipei again at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, but was barred from attending by the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

. The ''

Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned ''Focus Taiwan'' and ''Taiwan News''; ''The China Post'' was formerly a competit ...

'' reported that no reason was given for the ban, even after the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee had requested an explanation from the IPC. A representative of the CTPC stated that the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

may have "interfered for political reasons" to prevent Chiang from participating in the Games. The ''Taipei Times'' article was subsequently reproduced on the Taiwanese government's website. Chiang is an

Aboriginal Taiwanese Taiwanese indigenous peoples (formerly Taiwanese aborigines), also known as Formosan people, Austronesian Taiwanese, Yuanzhumin or Gaoshan people, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about 5 ...

, of the

Bunun people The Bunun (), also historically known as the Vonum, are a Taiwanese indigenous people. They speak the Bunun language. Unlike other aboriginal peoples in Taiwan, the Bunun are widely dispersed across the island's central mountain ranges. In the ye ...

, and originates from

Kaohsiung County Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was located in Fongshan City. History Kaohsiung County was established on 6 December 1945 on the territory of Takao Prefecture () shortly after the end of W ...

. He developed a severe visual impairment after getting cement residue and sweat in his eyes while working on a construction site. He was subsequently diagnosed with near-total vision loss.

References

External links

Picture
Chiang at the Republic of China's 93rd National Day celebrations, in 2004

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiang, Chih-chung Paralympic athletes for Chinese Taipei Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Chinese Taipei Bunun people Living people Sportspeople from Kaohsiung Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Year of birth missing (living people) Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Taiwanese male javelin throwers Visually impaired javelin throwers Paralympic javelin throwers Medalists at the 2010 Asian Para Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Para Games