Taiwan on Friday opened the inaugural Asian Pride Games with a colorful ceremony drawing hundreds of athletes and spectators, as the island shifts away from a zero-COVID policy despite a surge in infections. The games are the successor to The Straits Games, founded in Malaysia 20 years ago and considered the first international gay sports tournament in Asia. Taiwan, the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage, was chosen to host the newly named games for 2021 but the event was postponed a year because of the pandemic. Organizers went ahead despite a sharp uptick in infections after Taiwan…