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The Rotary International Convention was held in Taipei, Taiwan June 14-18, 2026.
It was very well organized and attended with over 37,000 people attending from 140 countries.
Karen and I had the privilege and pleasure of representing the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona.
There was a good contingent of 30 Rotarians and partners from our District 5370 in attendance, including our new Rotary District Governor Jeanette Bancarz.
The opening and closing ceremonies and the major plenary sessions were held in the massive Taipei Dome, the covered national baseball stadium. The opening ceremony with the parade of all 140 flags from around the world was a powerful reminder of Rotary and its global presence as the premier service organization in the world.
The House of Friendship, special focus breakout sessions, and special events like the President-Elect's Leadership Luncheon were held in the Taipei Exposition Center.
Rotary Past President Francesco Arezzo from Italy provided a review of his Rotary year with the theme of Unite For Good. He is very well spoken and humorous encouraging Rotarians to build friendships and to recruit new members. The new Rotary President Yinka Babalola from Nigeria also very well spoken, highlighted happy Rotarians build strong Rotary clubs around the world. He spoke about his Rotary theme this year, "Create Lasting Impact". He provided examples like him giving small children the polio vaccine drops in Pakistan that he found personally moving, to the success of the Rotary Polio Plus program, which is now 99.9% successful eradicating polio and has prevented polio in over 20 million children around the world since it began in 1985.
The special dinner event Beyond Borders for Rotary Zones 28 & 32 was held Sunday June 14 evening. The evening featured a 10-course traditional Taiwanese meal and entertainment. A fun and informative evening with remarks from Rotary International Presidents Francesco Arezzo and Yinka Babalola. Also remarks from Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair-Elect Jennifer Jones from Canada and Director-Elect Marty Peak Helman.
The Taiwan National Symphony Rotary Evening gala was held in the beautiful Taiwan National Concert Hall. Music is the universal language of the world. The concert which featured world famous masterpieces, including selected operas and symphonies including the powerful Carmen Bizet and works of composers Puccini, Verdi, Strauss and Dvorak. It exceeded expectations. It was billed in the typical very polite and meaningful Taiwanese way as " A wonderful musical performance that will help everyone build friendships and refresh their hearts. Bringing everyone an evening full of love and joy. While wishing everyone a fruitful experience and lasting friendships during the Rotary International Taipei Convention."
The closing of the Rotary Taipei Convention extended an invitation to all Rotarians from around the world to consider attending the next Rotary Convention in Barcelona Spain June 26-30, 2027.
See Photo Album below for more pictures.
"The Friendly Club"
Edmonton, AB T6X 0P9
Canada