Taichung City is actively developing the sport of baseball, hence Taichung City Government has combined Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium with the adjacent Multifunctional Sports Center (Mini Dome) and surrounding facilities to create “Baseball Sports Recreational Park”. In order to learn from other countries’ experience in stadium planning and transform Taichung into a sports city, Taichung City Mayor Chia-lung Lin visited the home ground of MLB’s Oakland Athletics on August 13 (Taiwan time).

On the 13th, Mayor Lin visited Oakland Athletics’ Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum accompanied by Economic Development Bureau Director Yao-chih Lu, they were received by Sr. Director of Stadium Operations Paul LaVeau, and both parties discussed issues related to baseball and baseball stadium management approach.

According to Mayor Lin, baseball is not only a sport in America, it is a recreational and entertainment industry. Besides the baseball field, the home ground of Oakland Athletics also features children’s playground, allowing parents to keep an eye on their children. There is also a dining area to let baseball fans enjoy all the benefits associated with baseball.

Mayor Lin commented that Baseball Sports Recreational Park – centered around Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium – has already successfully attracted investors, and TWD 15 billion will be invested in the future for construction. The visit to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum serves to provide as a reference for the planning and operation of Taichung’s Baseball Sports Recreational Park in the future.

Mayor Lin also expressed his wishes to increase the cohesiveness of Taichung citizens through sports. Taichung is the host of East Asian Games in 2019, thus it is actively constructing various sports facilities including the Civil Sports Center, hoping to develop Taichung into an international sports city.

According to Sr. Director of Stadium Operations Paul LaVeau, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum offers diverse functionalities; besides game and practice ground, there are also dining area and children’s playground in the stadium. A concert was recently held here, which is a common practice in the US, he also advised Taichung to adopt the similar approach in order to endow Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium with more functions and provide baseball fans with diversified services.

The city government indicated that Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is a multipurpose stadium for hosting baseball, soccer and American football matches. In conjunction with the adjacent Oracle Arena, they form the largest sports park in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In an effort to transforming Taichung into a sports city, the city government’s multifunctional sports center at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium has been completed and opened to the public. The venue complies with IOC regulations, which can be used to host domestic/international competitions and concerts. Furthermore, investment will be solicited to create dining, banquet and exhibition spaces that will be integrated with surrounding facilities to form “Baseball Sports Recreational Park”.

Mayor Lin also met with San Jose Mayor Liccardo. San Jose hosted the San Jose Summer Jazz Fest from 11th to 13th (US time), thus both parties exchanged experiences in hosting jazz festivals, and Mayor Lin also invited Mayor Liccardo to visit Taichung and participate in the Taichung Jazz Festival and World Flora Expo. Mayor Lin also conveyed his wishes to forge a sister relation between both cities.