Keelung City's Ming Chuan Cup: Elementary school children lay the foundation for learning

Keelung City has launched its inaugural Ming Chuan Cup elementary school basketball invitational tournament, bringing together approximately 100 young athletes from six schools. The event, which commenced on June 27, is designed to nurture sports development at a crucial age and provide a competitive stage for budding talent.

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The elementary school stage is a golden period for sports development. The organization of grassroots competitions not only provides a stage for exchanging skills but is also an important medium for rooting sports strength and cultivating team spirit.

Vice Mayor Chiu Pei-ling emphasized the significance of the elementary school stage as a "golden period for sports development." She highlighted that grassroots competitions not only offer a venue for honing basketball skills but also serve as vital mediums for strengthening sports foundations and fostering team spirit. Chiu shared an anecdote about how the presence of Ming Chuan Junior High basketball team students during a professional game seemed to inspire the "Taipei Fubon Braves" to victory, underscoring the positive impact of student engagement in sports.

Lin Shih-chieh, principal of Ming Chuan Junior High, expressed gratitude for the city government's support of basketball. He noted the school's recent successes, with its boys' and girls' teams achieving national recognition. The school is planning further regional competitions in September and October, inviting talented young players from across Keelung to participate and exchange skills.

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The school's basketball teams have developed vigorously and achieved excellent results in recent years. The boys' and girls' teams, under the leadership of coach Hsu Wei-sheng, achieved a record-breaking double championship in the national second division league last year.

Yang Yung-fen, deputy director of the Education Department, pointed out that basketball has been designated a key sport for Keelung City's grassroots athlete training centers since 2025. The city government has significantly increased its investment in grassroots sports over the past two years, allocating over NT$40 million. Additionally, Ming Chuan Junior High received nearly NT$10 million for renovations to its activity center. These investments aim to enhance training environments and comprehensively improve the sports landscape within Keelung's schools.

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Basketball has been designated as a key project for Keelung City's grassroots athlete training stations since 2025. To implement grassroots development, the city government continues to actively invest resources to support school basketball development.