The "Charming Taiwan 2016 - Qixing Mountain Trail Running Challenge”organized by the Taiwan Sports and Leisure Industry Development Association, ROC Competitive Athletics Association, and hosted by Charming Sports Co., Ltd. had been scheduled to take place on April 30, 2016 along several historical trails and footpaths within the Yangmingshan National Park area. After reviewing the event's revised proposal forwarded by the Taipei City Government Department of Sports, the Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters issued an official reply on April 19 to reject the proposal. The Department of Sports subsequently notified the organizers on April 22 that due to inadequacies regarding safety precautions, the event application has not been approved. However, the organizers have obstinately proceeded with preparations for the event, which would constitute a violation of regulations. The Headquarters therefore urges that contestants refuse to participate in said event. 

The same organizers had applied last year to host the 2015 Qixing Mountain Trail Running Challenge in the name of a cross-country hiking event. After revising the proposal accordingly and obtaining permission from the Headquarters, however, the organizers proceeded to host a cross-country racing competition in which contestants were timed with race chips. The organizers have thereby committed a severe breach of good faith, and have submitted a 2016 application in the same way with intention to continue using the chips in name of managing runners' safety. Upon examination, it was found that in the revised proposal and event information online, the organizers simply revised the Chinese event name to include the words "cross-country hike"; the English name, registration method, chip usage and timing methods, as well as rules of awards issuance all still correspond to those for a chip-timed cross-country race. The Headquarters has therefore rejected the event application. 

The main objectives of founding a national park are to ensure the conservation of ecological resources and sustainability. If the organizers of this event insist on hosting a chip-timed race, they will have infringed the National Park Law, which prescribes the prohibited activities within national parks in Article 13, including "any conduct prohibited by the national park authorities". The event will also constitute violations against the Regulations Governing the Activities Prohibited in the Domain of Yangmingshan National Park, which prohibits "trail-marking labeling, 〔......〕 and other activities that are devastating to biological environment and dangerous to public safety" and "hosting events, 〔......〕 in areas not permitted for these activities" in Items 4 and 5. For the above violation against the National Park Law, the Headquarters shall act in accordance with Paragraphs 1 and 2, Article 18 of the Administrative Penalty Act: "In the case of imposition of a fine, consideration shall be given to such factors as the culpability of the act in breach of duty under administrative law, the impact resulted therefrom and the benefits gained from such an act. Furthermore, the financial ability of the person penalized may also be taken into account. If the gained benefit referred to in the preceding paragraph exceeds the maximum statutory amount of fine, the fine may be increased to the extent appropriate within the scope of the benefit gained, regardless of the statutory limitation of maximum fine." The above violations will be subject to enhanced penalties, and police departments will work in conjunction with the Headquarters at the event to advocate policies and take necessary measures. The Headquarters urges the organizers to promptly cancel the event and to properly handle matters of refunding the registered contestants, so as to minimize the ecological impacts and the losses of contestants. 

With its unique volcanic terrain and location near a metropolitan area, the Yangmingshan National Park also shoulders crucial responsibilities in water source conservation, air purification, noise insulation, and water and land conservation in Northern Taiwan. The National Park is committed to protecting its natural environment. Considering the large number of hikers and visitors on mountain footpaths during holidays, runners can create psychological stress for regular visitors or even cause collisions and accidents on the narrow pathways. Moreover, rescue efforts will be more difficult to conduct if accidents occur during a race, which poses grave threats to the physical safety and lives of all hikers, visitors, and runners. Competitive trail running activities are therefore prohibited on all footpaths or mountain trails within the Park area. The Headquarters reiterates that protection of national park resources will require the efforts of everyone. Please join us in helping to preserve the beautiful park grounds for generations to come.