President Ma Ying-jeou met with International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Secretary General John C. Ostermeyer at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of June 24 and offered a warm welcome to him on his visit to Taiwan on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
President Ma remarked that Mr. Ostermeyer has long supported the development of baseball in Taiwan and the main purpose of his visit this time is to view preparations for the World Youth Baseball Championship to be held in Taichung City in August. The president said he is pleased to see Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu escorting Mr. Ostermeyer, and also said he welcomes baseball teams from throughout the world to come to Taiwan and take part in the tournament.
President Ma said that baseball is the most popular sport in the ROC. Over the past 10 years, the ROC has twice held the Baseball World Cup – once in Taipei and once in Taichung. He commented that Taiwan has a wealth of experience in holding international baseball tournaments and said he expects that this year's competition will also be a success, further solidifying the standing of Taiwan in the baseball world.
The president explained to Mr. Ostermeyer that many athletic competitions will be held in Taiwan this year. In addition to the World Youth Baseball Championship in Taichung in August, Kaohsiung will hold the World Games in July, while Taipei will play host to the Deaflympics in September. All of these are large world-class athletic events, he said.
Mr. Ostermeyer said that in addition to cultivating the spirit of fair competition, sports provide an avenue for greater interaction among people throughout the world and an opportunity for mutual understanding. He also expressed his deep appreciation to the Sports Affairs Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Taichung City Government, as well as related bodies, for their full support.