The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) kicks off on March 8 at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, an event that has captured the attention of every baseball fans around the world. The Major League Baseball (MLB) website has published an article stating that the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium has been selected for many international baseball competitions and Taichung has been recognized as the World Baseball City. It specifically mentioned that the 20,000-seat Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium had been selected for many international games since it was opened to the public.

Mr. Li, Yu-Rei, Director of Sports Bureau, Taichung City Government says that during the four-year term of Mayor Shiow-Yen Lu, Taichung was selected for Asian Baseball Championship and WBSC Premier 12 in 2019, the U-23 Baseball World Cup in 2022, and the upcoming and sizzling 2023 WBC. Taichung City has attracted the world's attention in recent years by hosting several world-class games and becoming the pride of its citizens, making Taichung the capital of baseball in the world.

Director Li points out that Taiwan ranks the second place in world baseball according to the article on the MLB website on Feb 21 (US time) (https://reurl.cc/xlEe91). It was the home field for Pool B, 1st round of WBC in 2013 and Pool A, 1st round this year. Director Li also says that the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium is hosting WBC games again after 10 years, and is one of the 4 cities that are eligible for this honor. It is the pride of Taichung, and of Taiwan.

Director Li points out that the success of Taichung City for promoting sports events has attracted international attention. In the 2020 professional baseball season, Taichung secured “four firsts” against all odds during the global pandemic, i.e., the world’s first professional baseball game in Taichung, the first city to open the stadium for baseball fans to watch a game live, the first professional sports draft, and the first CPBL championship series. WBSC wrote an article (https://reurl.cc/1eolmW) presenting what Taichung City did during the pandemic and the success of Taiwan series. It was a recognition for the epidemic prevention efforts made by Mayor Lu, who led the city government team and professional baseball association to successfully host the games.

The Sports Bureau points out that Mayor Lu is very active in promoting Taichung's "Cool City, Cool Sports" to create a high-quality sports city. "Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium" is Taiwan's leading stadium that meets international standards, and is the first preference for hosting international events. Many important events have been held successfully, attracting public attention. The official warm-up game on March 5th and 6th, and the WBC games from March 8th to 12th are about to start. The enthusiastic support of all people in Taiwan is welcome, and let’s cheer for the heroes of Taiwan.