World Games Hoping For Big Splash

Kaohsiung, a port city of 1.5 million people in southern Taiwan, will be hosting the World Games this summer and has already spent millions of dollars on fancy Las Vegas-style venues.

However, the organizers have reportedly sold only about 25,000 of the available 300,000 tickets less than two months before the Games begin.

The World Games, which are approved by the Olympics, are expected to attract 5,000 teams from 90 countries as well as 500 journalists.

However, because most of the sports, like tchoukball, fin swimming and canoe polo, are considered uncommon it may turn out to be more difficult to promote the event than previously thought.

In any case, it is the largest sporting event ever held in Taiwan, and local leaders are counting on the Games to boost their city from a commercial seaport with a concentration of heavy industry to a regional tourist hub.

For that reason, they are considering cutting prices in half for the remaining tickets.