Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Mayor Hau Lung-bin met the members of Chongqing Junior High School Baseball Team at city hall on July 20. The team from Taipei won first place in the 2010 Asia-Pacific Junior League Baseball Tournament and qualified for the upcoming Junior League World Series later this year.
The mayor fondly recalled the experience of cheering for young Taiwanese players when they competed in games abroad. This is the first time for the local team to return to the Junior League World Series since Taiwan withdrew from tournaments organized by Little League Baseball in 1997.
After hearing that the team from Chongqing Junior High School won first place in this year’s Asia-Pacific Junior League Baseball Tournament, he immediately requested that the Department of Education bring the young athletes to city hall so he can thank them in person.
As a token of gratitude for the team’s accomplishment, the mayor prepared a limited version Kuo Hong-chih EasyCard for each player. He stressed that the gift is especially meaningful because Kuo was one of the members of the national team during the tournament in 1996. He believes that the next “Kuo” could be among the current team members.
Hau remarked that Kuo’s baseball spirit is worthy of imitation for the young athletes. Despite his injuries which required several operations, Kuo continued to practice and work hard on rehabilitation, paving his way to becoming one of the top relievers in Major League Baseball.