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Team Taiwan drop two over failed drug test

The already-depleted Taiwanese national baseball team replaced two players who failed a drug test with amateurs yesterday, one day before their opening game against Spain in a qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics.

Team Taiwan, who have seen a number of overseas and injured players dropping out of the squad, replaced pitchers Shen Yu-chieh and Lin Po-yu with amateurs Lee Wei-hua and Lee Cheng-chang.

Shen and Lin failed a drug test administered by the Chinese Taipei Olympics Committee.

Team manger Hung Yi-chung made the change immediately, saying that he would not risk the chance of the players failing the competitions doping tests in such an important tournament.

The Olympic qualifiers will be played in Taichung and Douliou, Yunlin County, from today through next Friday, with the top three teams advancing to the Beijing Olympics.

Pitchers Tsao Chin-hui, Keng Po-hsuan, Lin En-yu and Hsu Ming-chieh all decided to concentrate on their professional careers overseas, while Taiwan's best hitters -- Chen Chin-feng and Hsieh Chia-hsien -- have also dropped out of the squad because of injury.

With the injuries and withdrawals, Taiwan's once promising hope of an Olympic berth will now rest primarily on the shoulders of a group of amateurs and untested US Minor Leaguers.

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