By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwanese fighter jets will welcome back a flight carrying the island’s baseball team after their victory at an international championship in Japan on Sunday thrilled fans at home.
Taiwan is not a global sporting powerhouse but baseball is hugely popular having been introduced during the Japanese colonial era from 1895-1945.
Their 4-0 win over Japan in the WBSC Premier12 final at the Tokyo Dome late on Sunday sparked celebrations in Taiwan, with President Lai Ching-te among those congratulating the team.
“Thank you for bringing glory to the country and Taiwan to the world stage,” Lai told team members by mobile phone in a video posted on his Instagram.
“This also let the international community know that Taiwan does not only have semiconductors – we have baseball too,” he added, referring to Taiwan’s chip-making prowess.
Fighter jets will welcome home the flight carrying the team, who will also be greeted at the presidential office, Lai added on his Facebook page.
Defence Minister Wellington Koo, speaking to reporters on Monday, said he watched the game “nervously” at home.
“It’s a historic moment,” he said, adding that sending the fighter jets was the natural thing to do.
Large crowds gathered outside to watch the final on big screens around Taiwan on Sunday night.
Many Taiwanese restaurants and shops are offering discounts to customers to celebrate the win while some companies, including Trend Micro, announced a day off for Monday.
Taiwan competed in the event, like at almost all other international sports competitions including the Olympics, as “Chinese Taipei” to avoid political problems with China which views the democratically-governed island as its own territory.
But there has been debate in Taiwan about whether that name should be changed.
In 2018, Taiwanese voters in a referendum rejected a proposal to enter the Olympics as “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei”. Many feared that changing the name would prompt China to try to block the island from the Games altogether.
“Taiwan is our country, Taiwan is my country,” Taiwan baseball fan Wang Ming-chang told Reuters on Sunday in Tokyo.
“How do I feel? We want to compete in international competitions under the name of Taiwan, that’s our ultimate goal.”
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Tom Bateman in Tokyo; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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