Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit.
Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present.
Photo: CNA
Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese fans, and EVA Airways vice president Andrew Su (蘇偉仁) threw out the ceremonial first pitches.
Ula Shen (壯壯), squad leader of the Rakuten Girls, said she was proud to bring Taiwan’s cheerleading culture to the World Baseball Classic and MLB stadiums.
Shen said she was surprised that some foreign baseball fans not only knew about the cheerleading squad, but also the name of every member.
Photo: CNA
The cheerleaders also interacted with fans during the event.
Fans Laura Power and Shadaj Laddad said they were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the cheerleaders.
Laddad said he did not expect them to perform, and was happy to have a chance to take selfies with them.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami via CNA
The Oakland Athletics lost 6-3 to the Houston Astros in their game after the event.
In Florida, the City of Miami Beach has designated May 22 as “Taiwan Day” to acknowledge and commend Taiwan’s outstanding achievements in democracy, freedom and economic development.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber presided over a meeting on Monday last week, during which Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami Director General Chou (周啟宇) received the proclamation on behalf of the government.
With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is a country that enjoys democracy, freedom of speech and economic freedom, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said at the meeting.
Despite being constantly threatened by China, Taiwan is committed to promoting public and grassroots diplomacy, she added.
Taiwan is not only an important strategic partner of the US, but also the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, the proclamation says.
The city supports Taiwan’s international participation in the WHO, the Interpol, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it says.
Left-Handed Girl (左撇子女孩), a film by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and cowritten by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution at the Cannes Critics’ Week on Wednesday. The award, which includes a 20,000 euro (US$22,656) prize, is intended to support the French release of a first or second feature film by a new director. According to Critics’ Week, the prize would go to the film’s French distributor, Le Pacte. "A melodrama full of twists and turns, Left-Handed Girl retraces the daily life of a single mother and her two daughters in Taipei, combining the irresistible charm of
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
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