OLYMPICS NEWS: They may have been a week late, but the reception the Taiwan team received at Dublin Airport yesterday made it worth the wait.
A lone piper led the 48-strong team into the arrivals hall, where the waiting crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Special Olympics organisers and Chinese people living in Ireland crowded around the Taiwan athletes, who were decked out in bright yellow Special Olympics sweatshirts.
The atmosphere was "euphoric", said Ms Mary Davis, chief executive of the 2003 World Summer Games organising committee.
"There was huge emotion at the airport. One guy started crying and couldn't stop. There was such relief and excitement to be here after all they had been through. I found it emotional."
The team told her how overcome and excited they were, "but they didn't need to tell us, it was all over their faces," she said.
"They were giving high fives as they came out. It was fantastic and it finally completed the jigsaw for us."
In May, the Irish Government asked teams from Taiwan and other areas not to come to the Games because of the SARS situation.
The advice was later lifted in all cases apart from Taiwan. However, two weeks ago, the Department of Health's SARS expert group said the athletes could come if they spent 10 days in quarantine in Thailand.
Coincidentally, yesterday the Department of Health said all advice not to travel to SARS-affected areas had been lifted, in line with World Health Organisation advice. However, its travel alert still gives advice on reducing the risk of SARS infection for people travelling to Taiwan and Toronto.
The athletes from Taiwan are taking part in a range of events in the coming days, including swimming, athletics, bocce, bowling, and roller-skating.
Despite their late arrival, they will still have time to take part in their host-town programme in Portlaoise. The team will travel to Portlaoise on Monday and stay there until Thursday.
During that time, they will meet local hero Mick O'Dwyer and the Laois football team, as well as the county hurlers and women footballers.
"We are really excited," said Ms Eilish Sparrow, chairwoman of the Portlaoise host town committee.
"We really thought they weren't coming. Everyone is looking forward to meeting the team on Monday."
Members of the host town committee will travel to Dublin tomorrow to meet the team at a reception hosted by the Taiwan embassy.
The team arrived just in time to take part in the "Shopping and Entertainment Night" held in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre yesterday. About 20,000 athletes and their families, coaches and volunteers took part in what the Blanchardstown Centre described as "the biggest private party ever held".
Some 400 buses ferried the visitors to the centre which had closed at 3 p.m. to facilitate the group.
The centre was decked out with balloons and bunting and the visitors were greeted with music, food and giveaways. Wandering cartoon characters entertained the younger visitors while cinemas screened films such as Johnny English and Anger Management.
"This is the first time many athletes get a chance to spend time with their families since they arrived," said Mr Pat Fitzgerald, the centre's operations director.
Also last night, UEFA hosted a reception for Special Olympics coaches, athletes and officials from Europe/Eurasia. UEFA has been providing funding for the development of soccer in Special Olympics since 1998. Soccer is now one of the largest team sports in Special Olympics.
