Taipei City Government

The Sports Department (SPD) joined hands with the Hope Foundation to organize the 2023 New Year’s Day Trek on January 1. Now in its 20th edition, the annual outdoor activity kicked-off at the Taipei Expo Park Plaza this year. Nearly 7,000 participants answered the call of event initiator Chi Cheng.

During his address, Mayor Chiang Wan-an noted that it is very meaningful for him to spend the first day of New Year with residents for the riverside walk. He expressed his gratitude to the Hope Foundation for organizing this event for the past two decades. 

The SPD pointed out that looking back at 2020 and 2021, the global community has taken severe hits from the pandemic. Travels and exchanges have effectively been suspended, while people stayed home to avoid contracting COVID-19. Fortunately, worldwide efforts in fighting the pandemic has achieved a degree of success, and Taiwan relaxed its mask mandate at the end of 2022 and removed outdoor activities and exercising from the list of mandatory mask-up. It calls upon the public to return to the habit of exercising regularly to give 2023 a great start.

This year’s route takes participants on a walk along the riverside greens all the way from Yuanshan to Dajia Riverside Park. The participants make a U-turn at Dazhi Bridge and head back to the starting point to complete the 7-kilometer trek.

The key visual for this year’s activity spotlights the Taiwan black bear. The organizers seek to emphasize the importance of biodiversity and animal protection. 

According to the SPD, the New Year’s Day Trek is usually the first sports event of the year for many citizens. Taipei City boasts a large selection of sports centers, venues, and riverside parks that serve users across the age spectrum. In addition to baseball and softball matches, the riverside parks often serve as venues for races and other sports activities, as well as the annual dragon boat tournament.