Taipei, April 10 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian announced Tuesday that 2001 will be "Baseball Year for Taiwan" as part of an effort to revitalize the sport.
Chen made the announcement while receiving members of the Chinese Taipei Baseball Team, which recently won the Asian Championship for the first time in 12 years.
He praised the team's performance at the 21st Asian Baseball Championship Tournament held at the Hsinchuang Stadium in suburban Taipei last month and stressed that baseball should distance itself from the corruption that the local game has become perhaps best-known for. Only clean, good performances and competitive tournaments will attract baseball fans back to the stadiums, Chen noted.
In line with Chen's "baseball year," the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association will also sponsor three world-class events this year--the Asian Baseball Championship, the World Baseball Championship Tournament and the World Youth Baseball Championship Tournament.
Noting that baseball is popular in Taiwan and claiming that "the great majority of adults in Taiwan" would wake up at midnight to watch a baseball game until the sport became tainted by corruption, Chen said the plans for this year are the most remarkable international activities devised by Taiwan under its adverse diplomatic situation.
Chen expressed hope that local amateurs and professionals will cooperate to form a strong team to compete in the upcoming World Baseball Championship Tournament scheduled to be held in Taiwan this September. In addition to Taiwan, 15 teams from five continents will compete in the competition.
He also expressed the hope that the national team will help the government to upgrade and promote little, junior and big league baseball.
In return, Peng Cheng-hao, board chairman of the Chinese Taipei baseball Association, voiced appreciation for Chen's support and promised that the association will form a strong team to take part in the September tournament.