As baseball is not only the national sport but also a core sporting industry in Taiwan, the collapse of the country’s professional baseball league could cost 30,000 jobs, Sports Affairs Council (SAC) Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) said on Wednesday.
Tai made the comments in a speech at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi County.
Tai said that although she often felt helpless when asked to guarantee there would be no more game-rigging after five major scandals in the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s 21-year history, she stressed the need to keep the league afloat.
The sports sector has received less favorable treatment than many industries in Taiwan, she said, but added that an estimated NT$2.4 billion (US$75.95 million) from the Taiwan Sports Lottery will be used to promote sports this year.
Tai also said she will try to foster the development of the sports industry and create more jobs for former athletes.
To encourage people to exercise regularly, the government will increase the annual budget for sports from NT$4 to NT$28 per capita and has allocated NT$400 million toward a program aimed at building Taiwan into a sports island, Tai said.
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