Mayor Ma irate over ball game

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday lashed out at the Cabinet for proposing to hold the 34th Baseball World Cup final, along with the tournament's closing and awards ceremony, in Kaohsiung County. They had originally been scheduled to take place at Taipei's Tienmu Baseball Stadium this November.

"The International Baseball Federation, on June 26, notified all 16 participating countries of its schedule, finalized June 2, which it said cannot be changed. I therefore don't see either the possibility or the reason for a change of venues," Ma said yesterday morning after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

"If the Cabinet insists on making changes, damage will be done to the nation's image," he added. "Only in the event of a national disaster can a change be made."

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), however, said that he would leave the decision to be reviewed by the Cabinet's ad hoc task force, which is in charge of coordinating the tournament.

Chang added that he hoped the Taipei City Government would not be offended by the likely change and "turn it into a clash" between the central and local governments.

Chang made the comment in response to criticism that political interference and pressures were behind the Cabinet's proposal, one of the reasons for which, according to the Cabinet, is to help create a better balance between the country's north and south by benefitting the southern counties. Most southern cities and counties are controlled by the DPP.

Rejecting political interference, Cabinet spokesman Su Tzen-ping (蘇正平) said that the Cabinet's proposal was simply intended to provide the tournament with a better stadium than Taipei could offer.

"The tournament, which aims to promote the sport and increase the country's baseball supporters, is not a regional one," Su told a press conference, adding that the Chengching Lake Baseball Stadium (澄清湖棒球場) in Kaohsiung County could accommodate 20,000 spectators, three times as many as that of Taipei's Tien-mu stadium.

Su added that the Cabinet had also asked all relevant government agencies to assist with the event, adding that the Tourism Bureau would help with promotional activities.

The central bank features the event on its newly-launched NT$500 bills and the postal administration will later issue memorial stamps, Su added.

Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yu Cheng-hsiang (余政憲) yesterday urged Ma "to broaden his mind" and allow the tournament's final and closing ceremony to take place in the south.

Chairman of the Cabinet's National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Shiu Yi-hsiung (許義雄), yesterday said that the tournament's final schedule had not been completed.

"The schedule is a draft. It doesn't necessarily mean that a change of venues cannot be made," Shiu said at a press conference late in the afternoon.

Shiu added that the International Baseball Federation would make its third inspection tour to Taiwan some time between July 20 and Aug. 15 and, during that time, the final decision would be made with consent from the organizer.

But, backing up the mayor, Taipei City Government spokesman King Pu-tsung (金浦聰) insisted that the tournament's schedule, including its venues for baseball games "is 100 percent finalized."

"Someone has given the Cabinet incorrect and distorted information," King said.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the international tournament, the Cabinet has allocated NT$26 million to the council and Chinese Taipei Amateur Baseball Association (中華棒協) while Taipei City Government has spent NT$40 million on renovating its stadium.