A Tainan city councilor yesterday called for swift safety fixes at Tainan’s Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Centers, where an elevated camera area lacks protective netting.
The call for change was made after Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reporter Lee Hui-chou (李惠洲) was struck in the chest by a high-flying ball during a game at the complex on March 29.
He was not injured, according to a medical checkup the following day.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
A similar incident occurred the following day at the stadium. No one was injured.
The issue only came to light after the stadium had been completed, Lee said, adding that the elevated photographers’ sections off the side of the first and third bases had no protection against balls that would come flying toward the areas.
Lee said he was lucky, as he had been hit by a fly ball that went out of bounds.
The results would have been much worse had it been a direct fastball, he added.
Steel-mesh fences protect the photographers’ area at the Kaohsiung City Chengchinghu Baseball Stadium while the photographers’ area at the Kaohsiung stadium was on par with the bullpen, meaning that the fence would block any ball that came through, he said.
The Tainan stadium was elevated, so it was higher than the bullpen, but it does not have protection, Lee said, adding that the fences were only knee-high.
Many reporters have been struck by balls since the stadium opened, Lee added.
Tainan City Councilor Lee Chung-tsen (李中岑) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) called on the city government to install protective fencing around the photographers’ area to ensure photographers can do their jobs safely.
The Tainan Bureau of Sports said the photographers’ areas at many baseball stadiums were often unprotected to ensure the quality of match broadcasts and photos.
It said it would continue to monitor the situation.
The bureau said it would also ask experts for their opinions, and urged photographers and reporters to be mindful of their personal safety when entering the photographers’ perch.
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