[Life] Malaysia Hosts First International Women's Baseball Tournament, Liu Po-chun Invited as Opening Game Home Plate Umpire
RtiTalk 小編9d ago
Malaysia is hosting its first international women's baseball tournament, inviting Taiwanese international baseball umpire Liu Po-chun to serve as the home plate umpire for the opening game, marking a new chapter in Malaysian women's baseball history.
The Baseball Federation of Malaysia stated that with the completion of Malaysia's first regulation baseball field, they hope to leverage the experience of countries like Taiwan to promote the development of women's baseball.
The Baseball Federation of Malaysia (BFM) is holding the "2026 Malaysian Women's Baseball Championship" for five days starting from the 12th at the Serdang Campus of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). In addition to the Malaysian team, the Indonesian Orca team and the Bangladeshi Ansar and VDP team are participating. This is the first time Malaysia has hosted an international women's baseball tournament.
Liu Po-chun told reporters after the game that compared to popular sports in Malaysia such as football and badminton, baseball is still in its early stages of development in Malaysia. Although baseball has been promoted locally for about 28 years and the baseball federation has worked very hard, the development process has been quite challenging.
She pointed out that another significant aspect of this tournament is the inauguration of Malaysia's first regulation baseball field, laying a new foundation for the development of baseball in the country.
Regarding the development potential of women's baseball in Malaysia, Liu Po-chun believes that compared to the overall environment, women's baseball still has significant room for growth. Countries like Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia are all developing women's baseball. Many players in some countries originally had a cricket background, and after transitioning to baseball, they have certain advantages in physical condition and athletic ability.
Liu Po-chun (second from right) poses for a photo with the accompanying Taiwanese team. (Photo: CNA)
Zuraida, President of the Baseball Federation of Malaysia, stated that women's baseball is one of the sports Malaysia has been actively promoting in recent years. A major challenge in past development was the lack of baseball fields. Now that they have their own venue, they can not only host international competitions but also engage in international exchange and training.
She mentioned that compared to more popular sports like football and hockey, baseball's popularity and participation in Malaysia are still relatively low, but the overall standard is improving.
Zuraida believes that Liu Po-chun's visit to Malaysia, as well as exchanges and experience sharing from related organizations in Japan and Taiwan, will contribute to the promotion and development of baseball in the country.
Liu Po-chun is an at-large ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), a female baseball umpire with international officiating experience, and the CEO of the Taiwan Sports for All Association. She has long been dedicated to promoting sports diplomacy and sports safety concepts. Recently, she was also invited to the IWG International Summit on Women and Sport in the UK to share her experiences in promoting gender equality and safe sports in Taiwan and how they can connect with international cooperation.
In yesterday's opening game, Liu Po-chun served as the home plate umpire. The Malaysian women's baseball team defeated the Bangladeshi Ansar and VDP team 17-2. The Bangladeshi team then defeated the Indonesian Orca team 26-0 this morning.
The Baseball Federation of Malaysia emphasized on its official Facebook page that the first official women's baseball game taking place at Malaysia's first baseball field symbolizes "our own land, our own field, our own history." They also look forward to further promoting the development of baseball in Malaysia through hosting international competitions and exchanges. (Editor: Hsu Chia-yuan)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=226086
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