A mission from the Chinese Taipei Amateur Baseball Association (CTBA) took part in an emergency meeting in Switzerland in an attempt to save baseball from being axed as an Olympic sport.
CTBA Chairman Tom C.H. Peng, who took part in the two-day emergency meeting called by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Friday and Saturday in the Swiss lakeside town of Montreux, expressed the universal concerns of all IBAF member countries that once baseball is dropped from the Olympic summer games as suggested by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a terrible blow will have been dealt to the development of baseball around the world.
Peng, a vice chairman of the Asian chapter of the IBAF, said baseball is already the "national sport" of Taiwan with millions of people involved in it. The CTBA will try its utmost to cooperate with other IBAF member countries to avoid the exclusion of baseball from the summer games.
The IOC proposed recently to drop baseball, along with softball and the modern pentathlon, from the summer Olympics.
The IOC Program Commission put forth a report late last month, proposing the removal of the three sports and several other events in other sports, beginning from the 2008 Beijing Games.
The report cited as reasons the fact that the world's top baseball players were absent from Olympic competition and that baseball's popularity is restricted to certain continents. It also noted the high venue construction costs.
IBAF member countries will try all possible means to fight the IOC plans to drop baseball from the Olympic summer games, Peng quoted the meeting participants as saying.
IBAF President Aldo Notari said that he is optimistic that baseball will be retained in the 2008 Beijing Games.
In a statement released after the conclusion of the Montreux emergency meeting, Notari said that he is happy to verify that the strengths most important in baseball around the world -- the professional leagues of the US and Japan, the Players Association in the US, the US Olympic Committee and the IBAF -- are completely united to work together in a positive way to explain to IOC President Jacques Rogge and the members of the IOC Executive Board why baseball must be a part of the Olympic program and remove any doubts that have recently risen.
All key individuals, including USOC President Marty Mankamy-er, all members of the IBAF Executive Board and officials from professional major leagues of the US and Japan, participated in the emergency meeting, reflecting the seriousness of the possible implications of the IOC proposal.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS