The opening of the upcoming 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei could be postponed if the host city is hit by bad weather, such as a typhoon, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said Thursday. Speaking during an inspection tour of a competition venue in Sinjhuang City, Taipei County, Hau said the Taipei city government is determined to ensure the success of the event and is fine-tuning preparations on a daily basis. 'We will make the best possible decision depending on the weather condition on the opening day, and if the rain is too heavy and the wind too strong because of a typhoon, a deferral of the opening ceremony will be considered,' Hau said. The 11-day Taipei Deaflympics 2009, one of the biggest sports events Taiwan will host, is scheduled to open Saturday. Around 4,000 athletes from 81 countries will participate in the event. Meanwhile, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said the central government will render the best assistance it could to the organizers to facilitate the holding of the event, which will be held at 22 main facilities in Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County and Hsinchu County. 'The Deaflympics is not just a major event for Taipei City, it is a major event for the whole country,' Liu said. Chen Ching-cheng, a department chief of the Taipei City Bureau of Transportation, meanwhile said the city government has made nine bus routes available for voluntary workers and the media to travel from Taipei to competition venues outside the city during the event. 'These buses will also be open to the public as well as the physically- and mentally-challenged audience,' Chen noted. In related news, the Chinese team that will participate in the Taipei Deaflympics is not expected to attend the opening ceremony on Saturday, said Emile C. J. Sheng, chief executive officer of the organizing committee for the event. The 100-strong Chinese team is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan around 9: 40 p.m. Saturday, which means it will miss the opening scheduled for 7: 30 p.m. the same day, Sheng said. He said the mainland Chinese team, which will comprise no government officials, is organized by the non-profit China Disabled Persons' Federation. The Chinese team to the World Games in Kaohsiung in July also boycotted the opening ceremony following a decision by the global World Games committee to let President Ma Ying-jeou open the games. China considers Taiwan one of its provinces, not a country, and does not recognize Ma's title as president. The Deaflympics is one of four games regulated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) . Its events are similar to those of the Olympic Games and are governed by the same rules. The games will feature 20 sports, namely athletics, badminton, basketball, bowling, cycling, football, handball, orienteering, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo, wrestling freestyle, wrestling Greco-Roman, karate, judo and taekwondo, according to the ICSD. 