Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian stressed Friday when he received the members of the Chinese Taipei baseball team that took the bronze medal in the just concluded 2001 Baseball World Cup that sportsmanship and teamwork are "what Taiwan most needs" at present.
Noting that the tournament that concluded last Sunday was the first time that the ROC had sponsored the world cup, Chen added that the nation's old passion for baseball was re-ignited by the fine performance of the Chinese Taipei team.
The president said that the success of the world cup has demonstrated that Taiwan has the ability to sponsor world-class sporting events.
He also said that at a time when Taiwan people have lost much of their zest for baseball, the two-week event attracted over 100,000 local fans, which has helped Taiwan to go out into the world and the world to come to Taiwan.
The president said that teamwork was crucial for the good performance of the Chinese Taipei team, adding that third place on the winner's rostrum is the best result since Chinese Taipei began taking part in the world cup in 1988.
He also noted that Chinese Taipei is a young team and that although it makes mistakes, it also learns fast and has the dynamism to allow reforms. He further pointed out that local fans continued to give them encouragement and support despite their errors. "We did not hear booing from the fans and there was no finger-pointing among the team members," the president said, adding that this is the type of sportsmanship and teamwork that Taiwan society needs right now.