Taiwan’s Young Sluggers Shine: Lai Ching-te Cheers on ‘Baseball President’ as Youth League Brings Home Medals from Paris Paralympics
President Lai Ching-te Meets with Baseball Teams, Praises Their Achievements
President Lai Ching-te met with three baseball teams that performed well in international competitions on September 9. He emphasized that as a qualified and senior fan, he is the “baseball president” and will continue to support baseball.
On September 9, Lai Ching-te met with the representatives of the “2024 Little League World Little League” World Championship, the World Junior Baseball Championship, and the “2024 6th WBSC U15 World Junior Baseball Championship” at the Presidential Office. The three teams won the championship, runner-up, and third place respectively.
Lai Qingde congratulated the Taoyuan Xinming Junior High School baseball team for defending the title of the “World Junior Baseball Championship”. Taiwan has participated in the ”World Junior Baseball Championship” again since 2010, and Xinming Junior High School has won 8 representations and 6 championships. Taoyuan Guishan Elementary School baseball team won the runner-up of the “Williamsport World Little League Baseball Championship”. Taiwan has participated in the ”Williamsport World Little League Baseball Championship” 55 times and won 17 championships; Guishan Elementary School has represented the team 6 times in recent years, winning 2 runner-ups and 1 third place.
He praised the U15 national team for winning the third place in the “U15 World Cup Baseball Tournament” by making a comeback. They fell behind at the beginning but won showing a spirit of hard work, which is very admirable. According to the latest baseball rankings released by the “World Baseball and Softball Federation”, the third place of the U15 team allowed Taiwan to return to the third place in the world this year; it beat the United States and South Korea and was second only to Japan and Mexico.
Lai Qingde praised that all the players present were baseball teenagers and Taiwanese heroes, “the country shines because of you”, and thanked all the coaches, guards, and translation partners for their assistance. He said that every time he saw coach Li Zhengda gather the players, he always encouraged the players in a warm and positive way, telling them to be brave and fearless, fight to the end, trust their teammates, and enjoy the game. These scenes moved many viewers and won warm praise from fans, and they are also role models for grassroots baseball coaches in Taiwan.
Lai Ching-te emphasized that he is a fan of the Tainan United Lions and has been going to the stadium to watch the first game of the first year of professional baseball in 1990. He was a strong supporter of baseball when he was the mayor of Tainan and the premier, and he is still a strong supporter of baseball now as the president. The Executive Yuan has prepared to establish the “Ministry of Sports and Sports Development” to not only promote national sports but also drive the development of the sports industry and provide more opportunities for everyone.
The Presidential Office also announced that a welcome party will be held at the Presidential Office from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the 11th to promote the President’s reception of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games delegation.
Li Houqing, secretary-general of the Cultural Association, said that contestants, coaches, family members, and medical teams will attend the event together. In addition to praising the contestants’ strong fighting spirit and self-confidence, they would also like to thank the Taiwanese heroes who have worked behind the scenes. Therefore, the Ministry of National Defense’s three-service honor guard will welcome the Taiwanese heroes at Jianmen, and they will be received by President Lai. A total of 90 people will participate, and the entire event will be broadcast live on the streaming platform Youtube.
Lai Ching-te also said that in this Paralympic Games, Taiwanese athletes won a total of 3 silvers and 2 bronze medals. Not only was the result better than the previous one, but it also proved that the spirit of athletes to overcome challenges and adversity knows no boundaries or types of sports.
Lai Qingde praised the athletes for not being limited by any challenges or restrictions, and for standing on the world stage with a more relaxed and mature attitude, showing the Taiwanese spirit and the resilience of the athletes, and also inspiring many younger generations to continue to fight. “Thank you to all the Paralympic heroes, as well as the coaches, referees, logistics, and administrative partners of the delegation. All Taiwanese are proud of you!”