As part of their preparation
for the World Baseball Classic, the world #4 ranked Chinese Taipei team made
the sunny Gold Coast their home for a intensive two-week camp.
In conjunction with the Gold
Coast City Council, the Chinese Taipei team stayed at the RACV Royal Pines
Resort and spent most of their time at the Surfers Paradise Baseball Club,
where they honed their skills and prepared for their opening round games
against South Korea, Israel and The Netherlands.
The team also made their way
to Brisbane where they claimed three wins from three games against the Windsor
Royals, and the back-to-back ABL Champions, the Brisbane Bandits.
All three games were met
with a groundswell of support from the Taiwanese local contingent, who
supported the team in droves and made the atmosphere at Holloway Field
electric.
The final game of the pre-tournament tour came to an end last night as Chinese
Taipei defeated the Bandits 5-4 in an entertaining encounter. Well over 350,000
people tuned into the livestream that was hosted on www.abltv.com and the Brisbane Bandits facebook page,
as well as over a million people reached during the game itself.
Baseball Australia Chief Operating
Officer Justin Drew was excited to host the Taiwanese team.
“It was an honour to host
one of the best teams in world baseball,” Drew said.
“The tour was met with a
fantastic response from the local community, and it further enhanced the
relationship between Australian and Taiwanese baseball. A special thankyou must
go to the Gold Coast City Council for their continued support. Thanks also must
go to the Brisbane Bandits, Baseball Queensland and the Windsor Royals Baseball
Club, for their cooperation and professionalism to ensure the smooth delivery
of this event.”