Children from three countries – South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan – gained valuable experience playing tee ball together in Boyeon, Chungcheongbuk-do.
The KBO hosted the 2023 KBO Youth Tee Ball Festival Elementary Sports Club Tee Ball Competition at the KBO Baseball Center in Boyeon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, from March 29 to 31.
In addition to 50 elementary t-ball sports clubs from across the country, the tournament also featured national tournament winners from Taiwan and Japan. In particular, Taiwan traveled to Korea at their own expense to bring not only the invited winner, Xiantong Elementary School, but also the runner-up, Hsin-Lung Elementary School.
Mr. Robert, Executive Director of the Taiwan T-ball Association, said, “We have been exchanging with Korea and Japan for 14 years. We have been exchanging with Korea and Japan since we created the Asian T-ball Federation together. In Korea, we held tournaments for six years with Lotteria’s support. Due to COVID-19, we have not been able to come to Korea for the past three years, but we are happy that the tournament will be held again with the help of the KBO,” he said.
“Our Taiwanese team is very strong,” said Robert, who added, “In Taiwan, teams from the North, Central, South, and South came to this tournament after going through regional qualifiers and competing in the national tournament. I’m sure they’re very good,” he laughed. Indeed, both Xiantong and Hsin-Lung went undefeated in the preliminary rounds, finishing first in their groups.
The runner-up team, Hsin-Lung Primary School, was particularly disappointed with their 7-8 loss in the final and came to Korea to challenge for the title once again. “The coach is very passionate,” said Robert. The parents are also very passionate, which is why they came to this tournament.”
Taiwan T-ball is supported by the Sansang Group, which also operates a professional baseball team in the past. “Although Sansang Group no longer has a professional team, they still support T-ball in many ways,” says Robert. This year, we are organizing a tournament named after our former chairman who passed away, and we hope the Korean team will come and have a good time.” 스포츠토토
For Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese children, interacting through sports from an early age is a valuable experience that will help them grow into adults. “Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are taking turns hosting the tournament,” says Robert. I think it’s great for kids to meet and play with kids from other countries. Before COVID-19, we also had a team from Hong Kong. It’s a shame that they can’t participate now due to political reasons. After this tournament, there will be tournaments in Japan and Taiwan. A Korean team will also participate. I hope they will come to Taiwan and take home a good experience,” he said, adding that he hopes to see more international exchanges between the three countries.