Athletes receive welcome at Athens Olympic Village

The Olympic Games Committee arranged a welcoming ceremony for Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Barbados, and Belarus at the Olympic Village on Tuesday.

Led by Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲), President of Taiwan's National Olympic Committee, and Taiwan's representative to Greece, Hsieh Tong-liang (謝棟梁), 38 Taiwanese athletes attended the ceremony.

While all eyes in Taiwan will be focused on the performance of the men's baseball team, the women's softball squad may also have a legitimate chance at winning an Olympic medal in Athens.

"The eight participants are all very tough, but our main competitors will be the USA, Australia and Japan," Ni Chao-liang (倪兆良), head coach of the women's softball team, said.

Australia has already lost once to Taiwan during friendly competition this year, but Taiwan will face a skilled Canadain squad in the first round.

Wang Ya-feng (王雅芬), 35, the team's best hitter, said Team Taiwan has been training for almost two years.

"We've traveled the world to play in friendly games with foreign teams since February, so we are confident that the entire team is in top form," Wang said. "Our first game against Canada will be crucial to moving forward and winning a medal."