Sociopolitical

Venezuela's foul play denies baseball team a chance at the plate

• Publication Date：08/17/2007
• By  June Tsai

Taiwan's young baseball players were unable to participate in the 13th AA World Youth Baseball Championship beginning Aug. 17 in Venezuela due to the host country's procrastination in issuing visas to them, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association announced in an Aug. 10 statement. The association expressed its strong objection to Venezuela for letting politics interfere with sports and have referred the case to the International Baseball Federation.

The team temporarily stopped training Aug. 10, after the CTBA was certain that it could not get to the event on time because of the visa problem, CTBA Secretary-General Richard Lin said Aug. 14.

Lin said the top official of Venezuela's national baseball association had admitted to the IBAF that there were some "political problems" with issuing visas to the Taiwanese athletes, implying China's obstruction.

Venezuela had no diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, Lin said, so the CTBA tried to obtain visas through a travel agency in Hong Kong for four months but received no affirmative response from the Venezuelan government. This was the first time in a decade that Taiwan's baseball players could not take part in an international tournament because of political reasons, he stated.

The Taiwan team, which was to compete under the name Chinese Taipei, secured the right to represent the Asia-Pacific area, along with Japan and South Korea, in the world championship.

Legislators across party lines condemned Caracas and Beijing for confusing sports with politics. Wang Tuoh, a Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip, called a press conference Aug. 8 and criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for kowtowing to Beijing.

Meanwhile, the IBAF announced Aug. 14 it disqualified Venezuela from hosting the event because of its visa refusal, a violation of the federation's principles and rules. The IBAF Extraordinary Congress, to be held in Frankfurt, Germany Aug. 18 and 19, will reorganize the event, according to the CTBA.

Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw