BASEBALL-WORLD-TPE-KOR
Koo Chung-liang, chairman of the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association, was re-elected as president of the Asian Baseball Federation at the Asian Baseball Federation General Meeting held in Taipei on the 12th. He will continue to promote the cultivation of baseball talent in Asia and international exchanges.

Taiwan Baseball Association President Justin Chou was unanimously re-elected president of the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) at the organization's general assembly in Taipei on Nov. 12. During his second term, Chou will continue promoting baseball talent development, coach and umpire certification systems, and exchanges among youth players from across Asia.

According to a Central News Agency report, representatives from 20 member associations attended the general assembly. Chou was first elected BFA president in 2022. Following his re-election, he will continue overseeing efforts to develop baseball across Asia and promote cooperation on international competitions.

The BFA currently has 29 member associations. The Taiwan Baseball Association said that during Chou's first term, the federation helped member countries develop baseball training programs and infrastructure. It also established a baseball development and training center in Thailand and a women's baseball training base in Hangzhou, China.

The BFA has also helped member countries host regional Asian competitions and provided advice on stadium construction and improvements, assisting local authorities in upgrading facilities and competition standards.

Taiwan has also conducted exchanges with other Asian countries through related programs, including hosting Thailand's national team for training and arranging for Thai student-athletes to study and take part in baseball activities in Taiwan, helping promote youth player development.

Chou said his second term would focus on developing more players, coaches and umpires, while establishing coach and umpire certification systems in stages and expanding exchanges among student-athletes. He also said women's baseball in Asia still had room to grow. The federation will continue staging women's baseball competitions, with 13 member associations currently fielding women's teams.

Chou also identified the creation of an Asian professional baseball league as one of the federation's long-term goals. Before the concept can move forward, however, countries must strengthen talent development, expand their fan bases and assess competition formats and operating models suited to the Asian baseball market.

The general assembly also resolved to increase the number of elected seats on the BFA executive committee from three to five to broaden regional representation. The newly elected executive committee members are from Hong Kong, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Taiwan's successful re-election to the BFA presidency highlights its continuing importance within Asian baseball organizations. How the federation uses institutional development, youth training and cross-border cooperation to raise the overall competitiveness of Asian baseball will be a key challenge during the new term.