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Chen appears at baseball opening

President-elect Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) attended Taiwan Major League's opening game and the opening ceremony of the Chengchinghu baseball stadium in Kaohsiung County yesterday.

Speaking to tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium, Chen called baseball "a symbol of the Taiwanese spirit."

Chen said he would designate next year "Taiwan Baseball Year" and attend the World Cup Baseball tournament, which is set to be held in Taiwan.

Chen said his new government would work hard to stop the infiltration of organized crime into Taiwan baseball.

He also stressed that the recent gambling scandals which have plagued Taiwan's baseball, leaving stadiums nearly empty, are the fault of politicians and not of the players.

Gangster involvement in game rigging and betting resulted in the dissolution of the China Times Eagles in 1997.

The sport suffered a major falling off of supporters and spectators after the incident.

Chen also promised baseball fans that he would consider Kaohsiung County commissioner Yu Cheng-hsien's (余政憲) request to build the largest and best baseball stadium on the island and designate baseball as Taiwan's national sport.

Chen's participation was his first appearance at a public event since his election victory on March 18.

Joking with fans, Chen said he had always wanted to be a baseball player, but he never could because he was too small. Instead, he set he sights elsewhere.
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