Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/10/2020
By: Lung Po-an and Kay Liu

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) The National Badminton Team Championships, the first competitive event for many players in four months, started in Taipei Thursday, with Taiwan's top two male players winning their opening matches.

World No. 2 Chou Tien-chen (周天成), who plays for a team sponsored by Taiwan Cooperative Bank, won his first singles game at the event by beating Land Bank's Kan Chao-yu (甘超宇, world No. 498) 21-15, 21-6.

Chou last played in an international event at the YONEX All England Open in London where he reached the final of the men's singles in mid-March, before the World Badminton Federation suspended all scheduled events.

Since then, Chou said he has spent more time training due to the lack of competition and a new part of his regimen is spending two days a week with an athletics coach.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 07, 2020
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Taipower on Sunday charged to their third straight win and took over first place in the Taiwan Football Premier League as previous leaders Taichung Futuro suffered their first defeat of the season, while Hang Yuan rallied from two goals down to complete a thrilling 3-2 victory over National Taiwan University of Sport (NTUS).

Heading into the 10th round of matches, unbeaten Taichung Futuro led the league with 21 points, but they fell to their first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss to Tatung at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung.

In a match in which both defenses were on top and there were few solid chances, it required a moment of magic to break the stalemate.

It came in the 28th minute when Tatung’s Turkey-born Taiwan international Onur Dogan hit a long pass to fellow striker Ange Samuel. The Ivorian escaped his marker and raced into the penalty area before slotting past the goalkeeper to claim his league-leading 10th goal of the season.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/02/2020
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Taiwan's basketball authorities on Thursday announced their decision to cancel this year's William Jones Cup international basketball tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) said the decision was made after consulting with the government. Both sides agreed that containing the spread of the deadly virus should be the priority for the country, it said.

The 42nd edition of the tourney was originally scheduled to be held in late August this year.

This marks the third time since the tournament's founding in 1977 that it will be canceled.
 [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 03 July, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

The National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung is a complex for training Taiwanese athletes for international sports events. Recently, the center completed a new addition: a luxurious dormitory for athletes.

The new athletes’ dormitory at the National Sports Training Center cost US$48 million and took three years to complete. Taiwan’s elite competitors will find that the wait was worth it.

From the outside, it looks like a four-star hotel. The center only hires those with experience in the hospitality industry to run the place.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/02/2020
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Taiwan's basketball authorities on Thursday announced their decision to cancel this year's William Jones Cup international basketball tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) said the decision was made after consulting with the government. Both sides agreed that containing the spread of the deadly virus should be the priority for the country, it said.

The 42nd edition of the tourney was originally scheduled to be held in late August this year.

This marks the third time since the tournament's founding in 1977 that it will be canceled.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 29, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwanese pitcher Chen Wei-yin has become a free agent after being released this week by his Triple-A minor league team the Tacoma Rainiers, a Seattle Mariners organization.

Chen wrote on Facebook on Saturday that Seattle had been his top choice when he became a free agent in 2015 after leaving the Baltimore Orioles.

“It was like a dream come true for me when I finally got a chance to wear the Mariners’ uniform in 2020,” Chen wrote.

“Although I won’t be able to play as a Mariner this season, I will always treasure this short yet wonderful moment,” he said, adding that hopefully his fans would support him wherever he goes.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/27/2020
By: Sie Jing-wun and Ko Lin

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Yin Chen (陳偉殷) has become a free agent after being released this week by his Triple-A minor league team the Tacoma Rainiers, a Seattle Mariners organization.

In his Facebook post on Saturday, Chen mentioned how Seattle had been his top choice when he became a free agent in 2015 after leaving the Baltimore Orioles.

"It was like a dream come true for me when I finally got a chance to wear the Mariners' uniform in 2020," he said.

"Although I won't be able to play as a Mariner this season, I will always treasure this short yet wonderful moment," the pitcher said, hoping fans will continue support him wherever he goes.
[FULL  STORY]

STANDINGS: The Uni-President Lions’ victory pushed the CTBC Brothers to first place after they won their third straight game, beating the Fubon Guardians 6-3

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 28, 2020
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The big bats of the Uni-President Lions were on fire in the CPBL yesterday as they crushed the Rakuten Monkeys 21-5 in Taoyuan, with outfielder Lin An-ko driving in seven runs on five hits and two homers.

The result enabled the CTBC Brothers to take the No. 1 spot after they beat the Fubon Guardians 6-3.

It was a highlight reel for the Taiwanese-Argentinian star Lin, who drilled two homers amid a heated home-run race between himself, now on 16 for the season, and Lions teammate Su Chih-chieh, who is on 18.0

Lin performed outstandingly, collecting five hits at six at-bats to drive in seven runs and scoring three himself. He is the season RBI leader with 58.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/24/2020
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Two former Taiwanese major league pitchers, Wang Chien-ming (王建民) and Kuo Hong-chih (郭泓志) have agreed to attend an event in southern Tainan City on July 4 to celebrate the United States' Independence Day, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced Wednesday.

Wang, a former New York Yankees' ace, and Kuo, an ex-Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star, will join Taiwan's first female baseball umpire-in-chief Liu Po-chun (劉柏君), as special guests at the event, AIT said.

The event will be held at Tainan Baseball Stadium during a game between the host team Uni Lions and visiting CTBC Brothers of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).

Titled "America Day Homerun," the event is being held as an annual reception to celebrate the 244th U.S. Independence Day, according to AIT, which represents U.S. interest in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 22, 2020
By: Spencer Chang, special to The China Post

TAIPEI (The China Post) — The brother of acclaimed tennis player Hsieh Su-Wei (謝淑薇), Hsieh Cheng-peng (謝政鵬), accused his sibling of mental abuse and theft in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Hsieh Cheng-peng intends to cut all relations with his sister over accusations that he allegedly stole his sister’s purse last year.

“I don’t want to talk to her for the rest of my life. I’m tired of this,” he said.   [FULL  STORY]