The 40th Golden Bay Area Chinese Sports Conference sacred flame lighting ceremony was held in a grand manner on Saturday last week, July 13, at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, attracting hundreds of participants.
At 10 o’clock in the morning, with the sound of a gong from the Chairman of the Chinese Sports Conference, Chen Chaoquan, the event began. The Air Force Dapeng Association flag team escorted the flags of the Republic of China and the United States into the venue. Subsequently, the FASCA flag bearers, amidst solemn national anthem and flag-raising songs, raised the flags of the United States and the Republic of China in sequence.
Chen Chaoquan mentioned that the sacred flame of the Bay Area Chinese Sports Conference started from the Father of the Nation Memorial Hall in San Francisco, passed through the Chinese Association in Sacramento, arrived in New York, and finally returned to the South Bay. He hopes that in the future, there will be more opportunities to pass the sacred flame to various states, allowing all of America to understand the Chinese sports conference in the Golden Bay Area, and attract everyone to participate in this grand event.
Director Lai Mingqi of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco stated that the Chinese Sports Conference has constantly improved and innovated, adding many new programs, which is believed to attract more and more compatriots to participate. The focus of the competition is not on winning, but on participation and enhancing friendship among each other. He hopes that through today’s sacred flame relay, more people will be drawn to participate in this grand event.
Zhuang Yashu, Director of the South Bay Overseas Chinese Cultural and Educational Center, pointed out that the Chinese Sports Conference not only unites the hearts of overseas Chinese but also helps more mainstream communities in the Bay Area understand the Taiwanese overseas community. She believes that the relay of the Chinese Sports Conference sacred flame holds three significant meanings: first, symbolizing the generational inheritance of the Chinese sports spirit; second, spreading the Chinese sports spirit to various parts of the world; third, conveying the ideals of freedom, democracy, and peace of Taiwan to the mainstream communities in the Bay Area.
Following the lead of Advisory Committee member Lu Yuzhen, guests held the sacred flame and circled around the Overseas Chinese Education Center, symbolizing the inheritance of the Chinese sports spirit.
Guests attending the sacred flame lighting ceremony included Secretary of Overseas Chinese Affairs Xu Caifeng, Advisory Committee members Wei Dezhen and Wu Yiming, Vice Mayor of Fremont Shao Yang, Councilor Raj Salwan, Fremont Unified School District Board member Zhang Yajing, and Vice Mayor of Cupertino J.R. Fruen. Fruen on behalf of the city of Cupertino presented certification, thanking the Chinese Sports Conference for promoting community connections through sports for the past 40 years.
During the ceremony, performances by the fitness drum team, American California Line Dance Association, Silicon Valley Health Praise Exercises, Fengzhongzhiyu, Element Dance, Overseas Youth Cultural Ambassadors Association by the Advisory Committee (FASCA), and 120 Hot Dance Classes also brought exciting performances, adding a lot of liveliness to the event.
The Bay Area Chinese Sports Conference is one of the largest sports events among overseas Chinese, established in 1985, and has been continuous every year except for 2020. ◇