【Article by Master’s Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology】
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, a group of NCCU students undertook overseas learning to film across various districts of Paris to celebrate the athletes' significant achievements. Students from MA in Global Communication and Innovation Technology (GCIT) seized the fantastic opportunity to participate in the Olympics while collaborating with the National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU) team to cover the crucial event. GCIT students interviewed Taiwan's Olympic athletes and their support teams, discussed the arrangements of training venues for athletes from Taiwan and France, connected with the Taiwan Pavilion at the Cultural Olympiad, and conducted post-game interviews with athletes.

This marks the first cross-campus collaboration between NCCU's GCIT and NTSU, where four master's and four undergraduate students work together on international sports communication, sports photography, and athlete interviews. The internship involves on-site filming at venues and experiencing the role of sports journalists, requiring adaptability and quick output based on real-time conditions. They visited temporary sports venues or existing facilities set up in response to the IOC's push for a low-carbon Olympics, such as the badminton hall in the former Adidas Sports Hall, the beach volleyball court set up at the Champ-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, and the 3x3 basketball court at the Place de la Concorde, replacing the construction of new venues. The same eco-friendly concept is applied to the energy-saving and reusable athlete village, as well as the widespread use of shared bicycles throughout the city.

In capturing the atmosphere surrounding Taiwan's badminton doubles team winning their second consecutive gold medal, the GCIT students were on-site interviewing fans of the Chinese Taipei team. They also created a nine-square photo grid of Taiwan's athletes to interact with fans from various countries, introducing them to Taiwan's outstanding athletes. Their enthusiasm attracted the attention of a golden retriever named Money, who travels the world, to participate in the filming alongside Reuters reporters. During their coverage, they encountered a Dutch student studying abroad who brought luggage to cheer for the athletes, expressing the sense of unity generated by the Olympics. They also met the popular "Rice and Shine" family from Taiwan, exchanging feelings about winning and working together to promote Taiwan's sports culture.

In addition to the competitions, the first-ever Cultural Olympiad launched after the opening ceremony's outdoor marathon relay. The Taiwan Pavilion at the Cultural Olympiad is located at the heart of Parc de la Villette, where GCIT students attended the opening day. They received rave reviews for their bubble tea popsicles and offered surprise black-and-white or classic Chiayi bamboo bags, containing items such as I-Mei's puffs, Taiwan's bubble tea or plum blossom commemorative pins, a Taiwan-themed blue cup coaster, 0.0% non-alcoholic Taiwanese beer, and Taiwan black bear cheering flags. Deputy Minister of Culture Wang Shih-Si and Taiwan's Ambassador to France, Wu Zhi-Zhong, were also present to support the Taiwan Pavilion at the Cultural Olympiad.

The Taiwan Pavilion features dynamic performances by young Taiwanese groups, including a DJ performance by Shapeless, who used Chinese characters to spell "Hello Paris" to engage the crowd, Artful Echoes, a fusion of classic and modern instruments with a guzheng, a zhongruan, and a flute trio by 3PEOPLEMUSIC, an all-female circus troupe representing women's rights called Crazy Girls, and the grand finale by Taiwan's drag queen Nymphia. On opening day, indigenous singer ABAO and the Golden Melody Award-winning new artist and best Indigenous language album winner, Makav, gave a performance bringing the atmosphere of the Taiwan Pavilion to a peak. The GCIT and NTSU teams also seized the opportunity to interview Deputy Minister Wang, and Ambassador Wu, and invited cultural groups to cheer on the Chinese Taipei athletes

Many Taiwanese and international audiences inquired about the Olympic commemorative pins, with the Olympic training and counseling committee revealing the pins' popularity: Europeans particularly loved the elegant shape of the golden plum blossom, while Asians, especially the Chinese delegation, specifically requested the bubble tea-shaped pins. The Taiwan Pavilion at the Cultural Olympiad also showcased and promoted Taiwan's imagery to athletes and visitors from various countries, featuring large red lanterns, banquet-style tables and chairs, and selfie boards with Taiwan's black bear and bubble tea backgrounds, all of which were warmly received by the students and the public.

In addition to the strong support from Deputy Minister Wang for the internship team, Taiwan Plus CEO and GCIT professor Yu Jia-Zhang, who greatly assisted the overseas internship team's coverage of the Cultural Olympiad, encouraged the students in Paris: "Use the real-world Olympic experience as the foundation for your interviews, and strive to record and share the performances of cultural groups through new media." Using modern forms, the cultural groups' performances help facilitate a dialogue between Taiwan's culture and the world. The GCIT students' on-the-ground coverage in culturally rich Paris is also a way to blend cultural heritage with new-generation communication forms, ensuring that Taiwan's culture is seen and appreciated.

Through this internship, the GCIT students have deepened their understanding of athletes and the sports industry from a practical perspective, furthering the promotion of Taiwan's Olympic sports spirit and culture. In Paris, from July 27 to August 10, 2024, the GCIT students invite people from around the world to visit the Taiwan Pavilion at the Cultural Olympiad to experience the warmth of Taiwan's culture and follow more sports-related news through sports channels NTSUper and Sportify.