Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/18
By Lin Hung-han, Lu Hsin-hui and Kay Liu

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Chen Chin-feng (陳金鋒), the first Taiwanese player who appeared in the Major League Baseball (MLB) games in the United States, retired from the professional career after playing his final home game for the Lamigo Monkeys Sunday.

“Thank my team manager and teammates. Our time working hard together and the joy, everything we work for will always be kept in my mind,” Chen said after a special ceremony held to mark his retirement.

The slugger also thanked all the coaches he had in the past and his family, and said the fans are like his family.

“Last, I thank my parents for raising and taking care of me. They never wanted me to play baseball, but I thank them, because I’m most proud to be their son, Chen Chin-feng,” he said, adding that Sunday was his mother’s birthday and asking fans to join and sing happy birthday with him.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 19, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Kansas City Royals on Saturday announced that Taiwanese Major League

Baseball (MLB) pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (王建民) would be designated for assignment, which could mean an end to his 2016 MLB season.

Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in the MLB. A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team’s 40-man roster.

Wang was designated for assignment to make room for left-hander Jason Vargas, who will start on Saturday against the White Sox.

The team must choose to either return the player to the 40-man roster within 10 days from the date of designation, place the player on waivers, trade the player, release the player or outright the player from the 40-man roster into the Minor Leagues.

Wang had been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 31 with tendinitis in his right biceps before he was reinstated then designated for assignment.     [SOURCE]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/17
By: Lee Chin-wei and Lilian Wu

Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 16 (CNA) The Taiwanese table tennis duo won the silver medal in the men’s team table tennis event at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after being defeated by South Korea 1-2 Friday.

In the first round of the men’s team – class 4-5 gold medal match, the Taiwanese team lost in the doubles phase to South Korea 1-3.

Taiwan’s Cheng Ming-chih (程銘志) then won a singles match in the second round of team competition 3-1 (11:8, 11:7, 9:11, 11:5), while Lin Yen-hung (林晏弘) lost in the third round in the other singles match 0-3 (7:11, 7:11, 3:11).

Cheng said after the matches that this was his first time to take part in the Paralympic Games, and he was only hoping to win a medal and had not expected to enter the finals.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 18, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AFP and AP

Taiwan need to win both their reverse singles rubbers today to win their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group

II promotion playoff with Thailand after the hosts won yesterday’s doubles rubber to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match.

Twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana completed a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Taiwanese duo Hung Jui-chen and Wang Chieh-fu in 2 hours, 13 minutes yesterday to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage at the National Tennis Development Center in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

The Ratiwatana twins saved just one of five break points, but converted seven of 14, winning 105 of the 196 points contested to put Thailand on the brink of a spot in next year’s Asia-Oceania Group I ahead of today’s matches.

On Friday, Kittiphong Wachiramanowong handed the hosts the lead with a surprise 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-1 victory over Taiwanese world No. 447 Yang Tsung-hua in the first singles rubber, before Taiwan hit back through world No. 504 Lee Kuan-yi, who was leading 7-6 (7/3), 5-0 in the second when his opponent, Pruchya Isarow, was forced to retire.

The visitors will need both Yang and Lee to be at their best today to gain promotion.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 17, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

A retirement ceremony for Lamigo Monkeys elder statesman No. 52 Chen Chin-feng

has overshadowed the onfield action, despite his team and the EDA Rhinos being engaged in a heated race at the top of the CPBL standings.

The two teams are to wrap up their three-game series in Taoyuan this weekend, but all the attention is on Chen, who announced that this will be his last campaign, having decided to hang up his cleats at the end of the season.

Fans and players are paying tribute in recognition of his stellar career for Taiwan and Lamigo.

At today’s game, the Lamigo Monkeys ballclub is to unveil a statue of Chen that weighs 4 tonnes and is sculpted out of white marble. The statue is to go on permanent display at the plaza outside the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/16
By: Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) Taiwan won the team finals of the 2016 World University Badminton Championship in Russia on Wednesday, the country’s first ever team title in the biennial tournament.

Taiwan topped China 3-0 in the best-of-five match finals to take the championship and gain revenge for the 4-1 defeat it was dealt by China in the tournament’s group stage.

In the final, Taiwan swept the mixed doubles, men’s singles and men’s doubles matches to claim victory without having to play the remaining women’s singles and women’s doubles matches.

Taiwan’s team reached the finals after blanking teams from Thailand (3-0) in the quarterfinals and Russia (3-0) in the semifinals.     [FULL  STORY]