MA News: The Chinese Taipei Softball Team Sets Its Sight on the 2007 Bangkok Universiade
June 1st, 2007
This year in Taiwan, the annual university softball championship ended with a bang in March, when Taipei Physical Education College edged National Taiwan Normal University for the title in the final game. The conclusion of this exciting championship allowed the selection committee to make their final decisions on who will represent Chinese Taipei Softball at the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok. The softball team roster was announced last week to no one’s surprise: 12 members of the national team are on this year’s roster, in addition to 5 other players who demonstrated exceptional skills and talents during the tournament play. The team will be managed by Coach Lin Chi Chuan of Taipei Physical Education College and assisted by Coach Lin Der Lung of National Taiwan Normal University. Incidentally, Coach Lin Der Lung led Chinese Taipei to a second place finish in the 2nd World University Softball Championship that was held in Tainan, Chinese Taipei last year.
This year’s team is a strong team, consisting mostly of solid veterans mixed in with a few fine young talents. 12 members of the national team that will be competing in the 2008 Olympic Games are on this team. These players are very experienced, having competed in many of the major softball competitions in the world, including the Women’s World Championships, World University Softball Championships, Asian Games and Olympic Qualifiers. The best player in Taiwan, Chiang Hui Chuan, a powerful number 4 hitter, will be making her first appearance in a FISU-sanctioned competition, bringing a lot of expectations to what the Chinese Taipei Softball Team will achieve this summer. In recent years, Chinese Taipei has had strong showing in international competitions. At last year’s Doha Asian Games, the Chinese Taipei softball team took the second place. In the Olympic qualifiers that finished this past February, Chinese Taipei never lost a game enroute to qualifiying for the Olympics. In the first two World University Softball Championships, Chinese Taipei placed second both times. The draw for the preliminary round places Chinese Taipei in the same bracket as Canada, Thailand, South Africa, and Italy. Training for the team starts next month in preparation for the tough competition ahead.
