Taiwan yesterday won its bid to host the baseball World Cup in 2001, according to sources from Sydney.
Beating the United States 32-28 in a vote held in the Australian city by the International Baseball Association (IBA), Taiwan won its bid to sponsor the 2001 championship, which the local baseball community believes will have a decisive and profound influence on Taiwan baseball.
Members of the Taiwan delegation, currently in Sydney taking part in the IBA annual meeting, were thrilled by the sponsorship victory.
Before the vote was conducted, Taiwan and the United States, the two countries competing for the 2001 sponsorship, each gave a 10-minute presentation to put forward their respective ideas for hosting the international championship. Taiwan was represented by Bruce Bruk, the international affairs section chief of the Chinese Taipei Amateur Baseball Association, ROC.
The high-profile championship will be held in Taipei in November 2001. Most of the games will be held at two venues, the Tienmu stadium in Taipei -- currently under construction -- and the Hsinchuang stadium in Taipei County. Three baseball stadiums in the greater Taipei area, including the Tienmu stadium, will all be ready to host the games soon, Lin added.
The Chinese Taipei Amateur Baseball Association began its preparation for the bid two months ago. The delegation, led by the association's chairman Peng Hao-cheng (
A spokesman from the association said support from 14 member nations of the Asian Baseball Association, Cuba, and five central Asian nations were key to Taiwan's successful bid.